Tooth Bleaching and the Hollywood Smile
We seem to have become a society obsessed with ever whiter and more dazzling teeth. A constant bombardment of images from magazines to television flashing a constant reminder of what you must look like to exude that healthy appearance.
This pursuit of perfection is no different for denture wearers given they are going through a process that allows them the ability to choose what color as well as what arrangement of teeth will be used in their new prosthesis. On a daily basis I encounter more and more requests for lighter shades of teeth to accomplish what a patient believes is that attractive healthy glamorous smile. Unfortunately this makes the job of keeping their smile believably natural difficult, particularly when it is a patient in their eighties desiring a perfect gleaming white set of teeth. It certainly looks lovely but really misses the mark on looking healthy, as it is clearly obvious to everyone that this is a denture.
One of the problems we commonly encounter is with patients that still have natural teeth remaining on the lower arch. Often their desires for white teeth in their denture leaves them with the problem of mismatched colors to their darker lower dentition. With today's technology however there always seems to be an answer. In this case it could be tooth bleaching. Once reserved for brightening clothes and lightening hair, it is now used for whitening teeth. Obviously the formulation is different with the ingredients more along the lines of carbamide peroxide and sodium hydroxide, but the effects are very similar.
To have a bleaching treatment done a tray is designed that fits closely over your natural teeth. Into this tray the bleaching compounds are applied and then fitted back into your mouth. It is worn in this fashion for a number of hours and in some cases overnight while you sleep. All the while the process is slowly whitening the color of your teeth. This procedure is sometimes done for more than one night depending on the amount of color change desired. It is not uncommon for patients to experience a change of two to three shades allowing them to match up to their new denture and achieve that brighter look they were after.
The costs for these types of treatments is generally inexpensive as once your dental office has designed the tray and supplied a kit, you can do the bleaching procedure yourself in the comfort of your own home.
For more information on tooth bleaching contact your dental provider and they will be happy to determine if this type of treatment is appropriate for you.