I’ve put a lot of time into finding a dentist to get my teeth together finally. It wasn’t easy to trust her, but after four appointments, I let her start improving my smile. After getting my dental cleaning and some badly needed fillings, I agreed that my teeth should be whitened before I get crowns. Since in-office whitening is quick, I opted for that. The dentist walked me through everything she was doing, and because I was so nervous, I asked for nitrous oxide. She was supposed to do three whitening treatments, but after the 2nd one, my lips started burning. My dentist tried something she t ..read more

I should be finished with braces in October. How can I whiten my teeth after the braces are off? My teeth were yellow before the braces, but now they look spotty and yellow. Which whitening strips or toothpaste should I use? – Thanks. Aamir from MD Aamir, Thank you for your questions. Wearing braces can cause various kinds of teeth stains. Until a dentist identifies the source of the stains and recommends treatment, you should not whiten your teeth at home. Your efforts can make the stains more noticeable. Also, whitening strips and whitening toothpaste will have limited results. How Can You W ..read more

I need to get a dental crown and wanted to touch up the whitening on my teeth first. My dentist provided me with Opalescence PF 20%. What I need to know is how long I need to use it and for how often before I schedule the crown. Can you give me any guidelines? Yvonne Dear Yvonne, One thing which I want to bring up immediately is my concern that your dentist isn’t guiding you on this himelf. Is he unaware of how this works? It is a possibility. If that is the case, it would mean taking a big step back and deciding whether or not you want this dentist to be the one to do your crown. This is esp ..read more

I received a teeth whitening kit from my new dentist when I moved to town. I didn’t really need my teeth whitened at the time as I’d had it done a couple of years ago in my old town. I popped it in my dresser and forgot about it. I was changing out clothes for the season and saw it there. Is it still good? I’ve taken up coffee again and now really do need some whitening done. Why do I drink that wretched stuff?! I don’t want to pay for a new kit if I don’t need one. Joyce Dear Joyce, The custom fitted teeth whitening trays will be fine, especially since they’ve been in your dresser this whole ..read more

I ordered teeth whitening online and did the treatment myself. I used the gel every night for two weeks. My teeth got super white. I made the mistake of not taking a break in between. Now whenever I drink something cold, my teeth are really sensitive. It’s embarrassing to go to my dentist and have to explain what happened, so I’ve started looking for a new dentist. Can you give me some advice on how to darken my teeth and get them to be less sensitive? Thanks. Ken Ken – It’s good that you recognize the need to do something about the sensitivity in your teeth. Dentist-supervised teeth whitenin ..read more

I wanted to get my teeth whitened but my dentist said it isn’t approved for use during pregnancy. I totally get that and don’t want to do anything to harm my baby. I was wondering if I could use a whitening toothpaste instead? Cammie Taking care of your teeth is as important as taking care of your baby when you’re pregnant. Dear Cammie, It’s great that you are looking out for your little one and double checking before you move forward. While whitening toothpaste won’t harm your baby, as long as you use it as directed, it will harm your teeth. Whitening toothpastes are more abrasive than other ..read more

In November, my dentist whitened my teeth and later placed bonding on them to hide fluorosis stains. After three tries, the color still isn’t right, so I let it go. I figured that I would keep the bonding because my dentist said it would last five years. After that, I planned to find another dentist to replace it. But within the past week, the bonding started peeling off like old paint. This is so embarrassing. I called my dentist, and he said that bonding on fluorosis sometimes doesn’t stick to your teeth. He never mentioned that the bonding might peel before he placed it. Now I am concerned ..read more

About five years ago, I fell while running a marathon and hit my face. My left front tooth is turning dark, and my dentist referred me to an endodontist for a root canal. The tooth does not hurt. I’m wondering why my dentist did the referral instead of bleaching my teeth. Will my tooth get lighter after a root canal? Thank you. Milton from Ohio Milton, Thank you for contacting our office. When a Tooth Turns Gray If a tooth turns gray, the nerve inside is likely dead. Unless the tooth is dead or infected, you do not need root canal treatment. Will Root Canal Treatment Lighten a Tooth? Root cana ..read more

I have TMJ Disorder and wearing the teeth whitening trays aggravate the pain in my jaw. I recently saw an advertisement for the Tanda Pearl Whitening System that whitens your teeth in only five minutes a day. Will this actually work? Is it safe? I like the 5 minute idea because I feel like that will be less pressure on my jaw. Carolyn Dear Carolyn, I looked into this carefully because I didn’t want to do anything that could make your situation worse. I do want to make sure you are under the care of a dentist with TMJ experience. This is important because leaving TMJ untreated can lead to a li ..read more

I recently saw an advertisement for Luster Premium Teeth Whitening. It does have some good reviews, but I would like to get a professional opinion before using something over the counter. Have you ever examined this? If so, is it safe? I’ve never been happy with my smile and am looking for ways to improve it. Emily Dear Emily, I am glad you wrote. I have looked into this. Lets talk about the light first. It does not have the strength to do anything. I think it is there just to make you think it is helping. The second issue is the whitening ingredient itself. This is not a true teeth whitening ..read more