Professional teeth whitening has improved in the recent times to drastically change the appearance of a person’s smile. As a matter of fact it is one of the most popular cosmetic dentistry procedures all over the world. These days one comes across beautiful, white smiles pretty frequently. And it is also normal human nature to feel envious on seeing someone’s beautiful and error-free teeth. Tooth bonding is a tried and tested way to cover up imperfections to expose an attractive and appealing smile. How about if both these procedures are applied side by side? Is it at all possible for the two treatments to show their respective results simultaneously?
Let us see what experts opine. In the following sections of this blog post we will explore whether professional or in-chair teeth whitening perform its magic on bonding material.
But first let us explore the pros and cons of tooth bonding.
Dental bonding is a great procedure in itself. Dentists all over the world rely a lot on this procedure to restore smiles. Cracks and chips on tooth surface not only affect the tooth appearance but in course of time may widen up to create a major problem. Dental bonding is an excellent solution to resolve the problem of these cracks and chips. Moreover, as a dental cosmetic treatment it can also correct imperfections of your tooth – like improving its shape.
Now let us focus on its downsides. Lack of durability and prone to stain are the two most concerning downsides of bonding. At the most your bonding can last up to 10 years – that is if you are lucky. In majority of cases it comes off within 7 to 8 years. When picking up stains is concerned, the bonding material shows a peculiar behaviour. The natural teeth discolour first than your composite resin. The bonding material will definitely pick up stains but that is a very slow and lengthy procedure.
Many people are not happy with the way their teeth appear. For those people trying out teeth whitening procedures at home is pretty ideal. There are whitening toothpastes available that they can use. But it does not take time to realise the enamel of the tooth is quite different from the bonding material. Results of at-home teeth whitening are often patchy. Moreover those make the bonding material in your mouth even more prominent. And that is something you never want, right?
How about whitening bonded teeth?
It is relevant discussing here a little about dental bonding treatment. The procedure makes use of certain materials – the most popular among those is composite resin. The rest of bonding is quite similar to filling up a cavity. Most of the bonding materials that are used these days are similar although those are not created the same way. Most of these remain unaffected on being exposed to whitening agents. Again in large number of cases the whitening procedure simply fails to remove stains. But why do the teeth pick up stains while the bonding material does not? Let us explore the reason.
The natural teeth are composed of enamel. It has a porous surface. Because of this porous surface stains set on the teeth very easily compared to that of the bonding material in your mouth. Stains on teeth often result from certain foods and beverages. Even smoking is big time responsible it as well. Avid wine drinkers over the years are more likely to notice their smile is waning away. This is also true for heavy smokers. Their natural teeth pick up a yellowish tinge. The enamel through its porous surface sucks up the colour and holds it. But as far as bonding is concerned, stains work up different manner; rather the problem precipitates right on the surface.
A dentist always matches the colour of the bonding material with that of your natural teeth. If you are not satisfied with the shade of the teeth at the time of undergoing bonding treatment, the composite resin will match it for you. Bonding cannot be lightened while teeth whitening procedures are infectious. Thus the natural teeth turn lightened while the bonding material stays the same and unchanged.
When is it ideal to whiten the bonded teeth?
Is it possible achieving a flawless smile that is completely free of stains and perfectly lightened? The answer is yes, and how? Have the bonding removed and replaced. Then undergo teeth whitening. Usually dentists recommended reapplying bonding to the teeth within 1 to 2 weeks after teeth whitening. When bonding is placed soon after the whitening procedure it ensures the right match and this way you also avoid patchy smiles.
The good news is you can avoid unnecessary discolouration of the teeth. There are means to do it. Let us discuss those factors in the following section –
Be 100% dedicated maintaining oral hygiene – stay on top of brushing and flossing the teeth. Learn to perform these activities perfectly – that is in proper brushing and flossing techniques are important. Feel free to request your dentist to demonstrate that to you. Brush twice and floss once every day. Go to your dentist every 6 months for professional teeth cleaning.
Cut down on certain foods and drinks – certain foods and drinks are prone to stain the teeth. Among drinks sodas, red wine, coffee and tea are most notorious. On the other hand acidic fruits and vegetables are largely responsible for teeth staining. Avoid berries, tomatoes and the likes to stay away from the problem.
It is important avoiding added dyes – always check the back of a product or the ingredient list. These days most foods and drinks are known to have added dyes. Food items like Blue Lake – 5, Red – 40 and many others can discolour the teeth. Red in particular has high staining capacity and is very challenging to remove from the teeth surface.
Give up smoking – dentists busy providing cosmetic bonding treatment also suggest giving up the habit of smoking. The habit itself is very harmful and giving it up is just as good as you can imagine. Smoking not only stains the teeth horribly but also damages your lung and leads you to chronic medical condition like COPD or terminal disease like lung cancer. Tobacco leaves a yellowish stain on the teeth surface that looks unsightly.