To bleach or not to bleach...that is the question!

So many people inquire about teeth bleaching and whitening products that I have decided that I am going to bleach my own teeth to really get the full experience and be able to properly relay a real experience.

My teeth are definitely showing signs of yellowing as the picture shows, but they are good candidates for bleaching since there are no fillings or caps on the front teeth. I had impressions taken today and I am making custom bleaching trays which I will wear for the next two weeks.

A few words about bleaching....
1. First try the drug store options like white strips..they do work, up to a point, and they may give you the result you want...this is an easy and inexpensive option.

2. If this does not work you may want professional dental bleaching of which there are two ways to accomplish this.
a. You can have the one hour type bleaching which utilizes a special light which activates a bleaching gel that has been applied to your teeth... this method will definitely give you some whitening but you may get some moderate to severe tooth sensitivity. The sensitivity usually can be treated with pain killers and it will usually decrease over time. The whitening of the teeth that you will see is part whitening and part tooth dehydration which gives the tooth a whiter appearance. Once the teeth re-hydrate the shade may rebound down a little, but they will still be whiter than when you started. This is a good method if you need your bleaching done in a hurry.

b. You can have custom bleaching trays made. The patient fills the trays with a dentist dispensed bleach and the trays are worn overnight for about 7-10 nights. I like this method best, if you are not in a hurry, as this gives the most predictable and long lasting result when instructions are followed. The whitening you get will not be due to dehydration, but you may still experience tooth sensitivity. However you can always reduce the frequency of your wearing the trays if you have excessive pain, and you can stop once you feel you have enough whitening.

That is all for now...I will keep you all posted on the bleaching results!