Dental Blog: Ask Dr Safaie dental questions!
Dr Safaiewww.DashingDentistry.com818-788-3384
Cosmetic & Implant dentist blogging about my experiences in all aspects of dentistry, specifically such common cosmetic dentistry procedures such as porcelain veneers, teeth whitening, bonding procedures, Invisalign orthodontics, Implant dentistry, and oral surgery procedures; commonly asked questions by my patients; my opinions on dental products and/or procedures; and answering any dental questions anyone may have! :)~
Popular Posts
-
Dental Blog: Ask Dr Safaie dental questions! Dr Safaiewww.DashingDentistry.com818-788-3384
-
Paint on teeth whitening pens: usually about 5-6% hydrogen peroxide as active whitening ingredient. Could be difficult to "paint"... -
Hi Guys! As a cosmetic, implant, and general dentist, I was thinking I could help as many people as possible by sharing my dental expertis...
-
With all the advancements cosmetic dentistry has to offer, the most incredible in today's esthetically-driven world are the increasingly...
-
Dental Blog: Teeth whitening systems: The good, the bad, and the just plain ugly! Dr Safaiewww.DashingDentistry.com818-788-3384
-
Dental Blog: Porcelain Dental Veneers Dr Safaiewww.DashingDentistry.com818-788-3384
-
Dental Blog: Ask Dr Safaie dental questions! Dr Safaiewww.DashingDentistry.com818-788-3384
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Dental Blog: Teeth whitening systems: The good, the bad, and the just plain ugly!
Dental Blog: Teeth whitening systems: The good, the bad, and the just plain ugly!
Dr Safaiewww.DashingDentistry.com818-788-3384
Dr Safaiewww.DashingDentistry.com818-788-3384
Teeth whitening systems: The good, the bad, and the just plain ugly!
Paint on teeth whitening pens: usually about 5-6% hydrogen peroxide as active whitening ingredient. Could be difficult to "paint" on without touching gums, tongue, cheeks, etc and creates thin film-like material on tooth surface. Since such a low percent peroxide, could take quite a while to whiten teeth, although generally safe to use and typically non-irritating.
Teeth whitening strips: Varying degrees of peroxide used. Works fairly well compared to other teeth whitening systems. Only problems in my opinion is not ingesting the bleaching material since saliva gathers in one's mouth and it can often times be difficult not to swallow your bleach-filled saliva and high degrees of teeth sensitivity (which tends to follow the whitening systems that work the best). Also can be irritating to the gums since the material tends to seep up. My advice is, wipe off the excess material so less gum irritation and teeth sensitivity occurs. For example, do you really need to bleach the back (tongue/palate) side of your teeth? Also, look at your smile and see how many teeth back people even see! The whitening strips typically have material go as far back as your molars, yet the molars don't even show in most people's smiles!
Professional One-Hour Teeth Whitening Systems: Although there are many systems out there, they are generally pretty similar, typically about 30-35% carbamide or sometimes hydrogen peroxide. The reason why these work better and faster is because the percentage of peroxide is very high. Dentists can safely apply high percentages of peroxide since they isolate your gums and cheeks to avoid irritation/burns. The main complaint of these whitening systems are high degrees of teeth sensitivity, although not seen on all patients, which typically lasts about a day. As for safety, professional in-office whitening systems are generally considered safe on tooth enamel. As far as the differences between systems, just ask the dentist what percentage of peroxide is in that particular system; the higher the percent, the better the result. Simple as that! The whitening systems that use lasers/UV lights have not been proven to "activate" or do anything more than those systems that do not use light, so don't be fooled by fancy light-activated systems. Bleach is bleach!
Over-the counter whitening gels: Typically carbamide peroxide, just in lesser percentages than the in-office type. Will usually find less than 10% peroxide in such gels, but can be up to 22% at times. These gels are applied using trays that one can either buy with the product or get custom made by his/her dentist. I would suggest getting the custom tray made by your dentist so that less material can be used, literally only a drop required per tooth; gum irritation is avoided; much less bulk so greater comfort; material doesn't seep through and into your mouth; and less teeth sensitivity, because only the teeth surfaces you want whitened are exposed to the peroxide.
Whitening products to avoid:
Whitening mouth rinses: Typically 1.5-2% hydrogen peroxide, so will take quite a long time to whiten teeth! Now this is all simply my opinion, but why would someone expose the rest of their mouth to bleach when there are other far better methods of teeth whitening that do not? Peroxide has been shown to have many negative adverse affects on the gums, tongue, and cheek, which is why I believe the whitening mouthrinse product manufacturers have no choice but to use such low percentages of bleach! So the result is less teeth whitening and more gum, tongue, and cheek irritation. If you don't believe me, let me give you a few examples. Some reported side effects of these teeth whitening mouthrinses include gum damage, gum recession, application site burn, lip swelling, sloughing of the oral cavity skin, stomatitis (aka inflammation of the oral lining mucosa), bad taste in mouth, itchy tongue, burning tongue, and brown/black hairy tongue and/or throat. So a question you may want to ask yourself is, is it worth slightly whiter teeth when you have a black hairy tongue?
Whitening toothpastes & Whitening chewing gums: Generally considered safe, but my personal opinion is that they're not all that great. The reason for this is that they whiten not by using carbamide or hydrogen peroxide, but with an ingredient called Silica. If you look up what silica is, you will find that it is a ground-glass type of material which is actually used to make glass! Many other dental materials contain silica, like composite white fillings, porcelain ceramic crowns, and dental pumice & prophy pastes (used to polish restorations and teeth after cleanings). Silica in filling and crown materials works as a filler to provide wear resistance and translucency, so is not damaging to the tooth structure; and silica in pumice/prophy paste is only used on teeth 4 times a year at most! However, imagine silica in a toothpaste/chewing gum that is used on a daily basis. It is analogous to skin exfoliation, except teeth enamel does not regenerate the way skin does. So over time, you are actually damaging your teeth to whiten them! I will explain why harsh abrasives and brushing too hard are bad for your teeth in my next blog!
So in conclusion, I personally believe teeth whitening gels applied in trays and professional in-office teeth whitening systems to be the safest teeth whitening systems to use, while also whitening your teeth the best. And although I know many dentists don't want to tell their patients this, professional teeth whitening systems will NOT get your teeth any bit whiter than an over-the counter product can; it will just take much less time to do so. If you personally don't mind if it takes a month or two to whiten your teeth, then just use the over the counter whitening gels. It's much less expensive.
Any questions on particular products or need more explanation of anything I said here? Just ask! I'd love to help you in your quest for a whiter, brighter smile.
Happy whitening people!
Dr Safaie
www.DashingDentistry.com
818-788-3384
Teeth whitening strips: Varying degrees of peroxide used. Works fairly well compared to other teeth whitening systems. Only problems in my opinion is not ingesting the bleaching material since saliva gathers in one's mouth and it can often times be difficult not to swallow your bleach-filled saliva and high degrees of teeth sensitivity (which tends to follow the whitening systems that work the best). Also can be irritating to the gums since the material tends to seep up. My advice is, wipe off the excess material so less gum irritation and teeth sensitivity occurs. For example, do you really need to bleach the back (tongue/palate) side of your teeth? Also, look at your smile and see how many teeth back people even see! The whitening strips typically have material go as far back as your molars, yet the molars don't even show in most people's smiles!
Professional One-Hour Teeth Whitening Systems: Although there are many systems out there, they are generally pretty similar, typically about 30-35% carbamide or sometimes hydrogen peroxide. The reason why these work better and faster is because the percentage of peroxide is very high. Dentists can safely apply high percentages of peroxide since they isolate your gums and cheeks to avoid irritation/burns. The main complaint of these whitening systems are high degrees of teeth sensitivity, although not seen on all patients, which typically lasts about a day. As for safety, professional in-office whitening systems are generally considered safe on tooth enamel. As far as the differences between systems, just ask the dentist what percentage of peroxide is in that particular system; the higher the percent, the better the result. Simple as that! The whitening systems that use lasers/UV lights have not been proven to "activate" or do anything more than those systems that do not use light, so don't be fooled by fancy light-activated systems. Bleach is bleach!
Over-the counter whitening gels: Typically carbamide peroxide, just in lesser percentages than the in-office type. Will usually find less than 10% peroxide in such gels, but can be up to 22% at times. These gels are applied using trays that one can either buy with the product or get custom made by his/her dentist. I would suggest getting the custom tray made by your dentist so that less material can be used, literally only a drop required per tooth; gum irritation is avoided; much less bulk so greater comfort; material doesn't seep through and into your mouth; and less teeth sensitivity, because only the teeth surfaces you want whitened are exposed to the peroxide.
Whitening products to avoid:
Whitening mouth rinses: Typically 1.5-2% hydrogen peroxide, so will take quite a long time to whiten teeth! Now this is all simply my opinion, but why would someone expose the rest of their mouth to bleach when there are other far better methods of teeth whitening that do not? Peroxide has been shown to have many negative adverse affects on the gums, tongue, and cheek, which is why I believe the whitening mouthrinse product manufacturers have no choice but to use such low percentages of bleach! So the result is less teeth whitening and more gum, tongue, and cheek irritation. If you don't believe me, let me give you a few examples. Some reported side effects of these teeth whitening mouthrinses include gum damage, gum recession, application site burn, lip swelling, sloughing of the oral cavity skin, stomatitis (aka inflammation of the oral lining mucosa), bad taste in mouth, itchy tongue, burning tongue, and brown/black hairy tongue and/or throat. So a question you may want to ask yourself is, is it worth slightly whiter teeth when you have a black hairy tongue?
Whitening toothpastes & Whitening chewing gums: Generally considered safe, but my personal opinion is that they're not all that great. The reason for this is that they whiten not by using carbamide or hydrogen peroxide, but with an ingredient called Silica. If you look up what silica is, you will find that it is a ground-glass type of material which is actually used to make glass! Many other dental materials contain silica, like composite white fillings, porcelain ceramic crowns, and dental pumice & prophy pastes (used to polish restorations and teeth after cleanings). Silica in filling and crown materials works as a filler to provide wear resistance and translucency, so is not damaging to the tooth structure; and silica in pumice/prophy paste is only used on teeth 4 times a year at most! However, imagine silica in a toothpaste/chewing gum that is used on a daily basis. It is analogous to skin exfoliation, except teeth enamel does not regenerate the way skin does. So over time, you are actually damaging your teeth to whiten them! I will explain why harsh abrasives and brushing too hard are bad for your teeth in my next blog!
So in conclusion, I personally believe teeth whitening gels applied in trays and professional in-office teeth whitening systems to be the safest teeth whitening systems to use, while also whitening your teeth the best. And although I know many dentists don't want to tell their patients this, professional teeth whitening systems will NOT get your teeth any bit whiter than an over-the counter product can; it will just take much less time to do so. If you personally don't mind if it takes a month or two to whiten your teeth, then just use the over the counter whitening gels. It's much less expensive.
Any questions on particular products or need more explanation of anything I said here? Just ask! I'd love to help you in your quest for a whiter, brighter smile.
Happy whitening people!
www.DashingDentistry.com
818-788-3384
Monday, October 11, 2010
Porcelain Dental Veneers
With all the advancements cosmetic dentistry has to offer, the most incredible in today's esthetically-driven world are the increasingly popular world of dental veneers. If done right, dental veneers can be the best investment a guy or gal can make in him/herself. Whether you have discolored and/or crooked teeth, or you just want a better looking set of pearly whites, porcelain veneers just may just be the thing for you.
Porcelain veneers are much less invasive than crowning your teeth since very little drilling is actually done if the dentist knows what he/she is doing. The basic procedure involves drilling just a tiny bit off of the front of the teeth, just enough to roughen the surface, taking an impression for the lab, and cementing on your new million-dollar smile at the next visit! What's really amazing about porcelain veneers is that the patient can literally decide what kind of smile he/she wants. You can choose a super-white flashy Hollywood smile or opt for a more natural looking set of choppers, it's totally up to you! So if your smile needs a little tuning up or is desperately aching for a drastic makeover, ask your dentist about dental veneers. It may very well change your life!
Dr Safaie
www.DashingDentistry.com
818-788-3384
Porcelain veneers are much less invasive than crowning your teeth since very little drilling is actually done if the dentist knows what he/she is doing. The basic procedure involves drilling just a tiny bit off of the front of the teeth, just enough to roughen the surface, taking an impression for the lab, and cementing on your new million-dollar smile at the next visit! What's really amazing about porcelain veneers is that the patient can literally decide what kind of smile he/she wants. You can choose a super-white flashy Hollywood smile or opt for a more natural looking set of choppers, it's totally up to you! So if your smile needs a little tuning up or is desperately aching for a drastic makeover, ask your dentist about dental veneers. It may very well change your life!
Dr Safaie
www.DashingDentistry.com
818-788-3384
Friday, October 8, 2010
Ask Dr Safaie dental questions!
Hi Guys!
As a cosmetic, implant, and general dentist, I was thinking I could help as many people as possible by sharing my dental expertise through my dental-related experiences, commonly asked questions, and even answering as many dental related questions as I can by posting them all in a blog separate from my webpage! I hope people will find this to be really helpful and informative in making their dental decision making.
DrSafaie~
www.DashingDentistry.com
818-788-3384
As a cosmetic, implant, and general dentist, I was thinking I could help as many people as possible by sharing my dental expertise through my dental-related experiences, commonly asked questions, and even answering as many dental related questions as I can by posting them all in a blog separate from my webpage! I hope people will find this to be really helpful and informative in making their dental decision making.
DrSafaie~
www.DashingDentistry.com
818-788-3384
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)