Teeth Whitening: Visiting a Dentist in Honolulu Makes a Significant Difference

There are some things in life, like teeth whitening, in which doing it right is important.  If you have teeth that are discolored or stained, whitening them is a fast way to improve your smile and your overall appearance.  If you whiten teeth with the correct method, the results will be beautiful.  If not, you may irritate your teeth and cause more discomfort.  The risk makes it important to contact a professional dentist in Honolulu for teeth whitening service prior to making a choice.

Why do I need to be careful when whitening my teeth?

Erosion

Put simply, there is a limited amount of enamel on your teeth and this enamel is what protects them.  If the enamel erodes or dissolves, it will not grow back. Once enough of the tooth enamel erodes away you will be left with permanently sensitive teeth.  There are several things that can cause erosion, and acid is a major culprit.

Unfortunately, most of the home remedies for whitening teeth involve an acidic agent like lemons or limes. Upon placing acid on your teeth it will cause the enamel to erode; so while this can make them appear whiter, it is also extremely dangerous.  Additionally, store bought whitening kits can also pose a risk.  Not because the solution will erode the enamel but because overusing it will.  Many people find that the results are not dramatic enough when they use a store-bought kit and use it repeatedly as a result.  Overusing a whitening solution is dangerous and we recommend visiting our office instead.

What if the stains do not go away?

Another benefit to whitening your teeth with a dentist is that if you have stubborn stains, we have other solutions to address them.  A non-invasive one is to place bonding material on the surface of your stained tooth.  The bonding material is tooth-colored and will blend in with your surrounding teeth.  It is shaped in place and hardened with a dental light for a natural appearance.  We can complete the bonding procedure in one appointment so that you can walk in with stains and leave with beautiful teeth.  if you have other issues that you want to address, we can do so using dental veneers.  By bonding veneers to the surface of your teeth, we can close gaps, cover stains, and even change their shape or appearance.

To learn more about teeth whitening or our other dental solutions, call and schedule an appointment today in our Honolulu dental office.