Baton Rouge Dentist

Can a Bleaching Kit Cause Pain?

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Hi,

My teeth are in generally good condition, and I have some old bonding on a front tooth to cover a chip. I’ve been using an at-home bleaching kit for the past few weeks, and I’ve been liking the results so far. However, the last time I used it, I felt a sharp pain on my front tooth for several seconds. Is this pain from the bonding, or from the bleaching kit? Or is it both?

Thank you,

Minerva, from Hazard, Nebraska.

 

Hi Minerva,

Thank you for your message. While you’ve had good results so far with the whitening kit, it’s important to use them at the direction of a dentist. Dentists can send you home with custom bleaching trays, which are stronger than over-the-counter kits. Under their supervision, they can monitor you for any pain or sensitivities. Let your dentist know about the pain you’re feeling, and they can coat it with something to eliminate the source of the sensitivity at your next appointment. However, you should stop bleaching for the time being until you can get the pain under control.

This type of pain you’re feeling is common, caused by placing bleaching gel on a sensitive part of the tooth. Since the tooth has been repaired after an injury, that could be why. Some of the bonding agent may have come off prior to the whitening.

Bleaching gel is not known to weaken bonding on teeth. If it did, your entire piece of bonding over the tooth would have fallen off too, and you’d be feeling a different type of pain.

This blog is brought to you Baton Rouge tooth whitening provider, Dr. Ryan P. Perry. Dr. Perry offers in-office and at-home tooth whitening through the Core system.

Can You Whiten Your Teeth Too Much?

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I have a girlfriend with a smile that can knock you off your feet. It was that very smile that first attracted me to her. In fact, it was all I could see. She’s a nurse anesthetist, so she was covered head to toe in scrubs. One of the things I’ve noticed since we’ve started dating is she has her teeth whitened every year.  Is it possible she could inadvertently be damaging her teeth?

Peter W. – Oxford, MS

Peter,

While it is possible to whiten your teeth too much, your girlfriend doesn’t seem to be in danger of that based on the information you’ve given. I’m going on the assumption that she goes to her dentist yearly for her teeth whitening. If that’s the case, he’d be obligated to make sure she’s a viable candidate for her “touch ups” and her teeth are healthy enough.

Those who do whiten too much, will soon find that they’re hurting their own cause. Their teeth will become sensitive. Additionally, the cosmetic appearance they’re striving so hard for will actually move backward.

The teeth will become translucent and eventually take on a gray color. Then they’re teeth will become brittle and chalky.

However, as I said earlier, your girlfriend is likely not in that category. Once a year is not at risk for such problems without there being outside factors to interfere with her enamel.

One thing you can remind her, is that the pores on her teeth are more open directly after teeth whitening. That puts her at a greater risk for absorbing staining food and drink.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Ryan Perry.