You could have the latest hairstyle and the trendiest clothes, but if you don’t have a bright white smile to match, your confidence could take a nosedive.
When you’re feeling hopeless and longing for a smile you can be proud of, we’ve got you covered.
Dr. Thomas Hernandez and our team at Heritage Dental know how crucial your smile is to your overall look and self-esteem. That’s why we offer professional in-office teeth whitening services to give you a smile you’ll love.
It’s virtually inevitable that your teeth will lose their shimmer over the years as your enamel wears down and exposes the yellow dentin below the surface. Still, a few factors can cause tooth discoloration to develop prematurely or more severely.
Some of the most common causes of yellow teeth include:
Using any form of tobacco products can also cause your teeth to turn yellow.
Yellow isn’t the only shade you should be worried about. Your teeth can turn brown if you leave yellow stains untreated or if you have significant tooth decay and tartar buildup.
A white spot on your tooth could be a red flag for a cavity or an indicator that you’ve had excessive fluoride exposure. Black teeth can result from serious cavities, fillings, and crowns that contain silver sulfide or liquid iron supplements. Avid wine drinkers tend to wind up with a purple tinge to their teeth.
But yellow, discolored teeth are far more than fashion faux pas — they could lead to or be warning signs of oral health issues.
If your discolored teeth result from poor dental hygiene, they could be pointing to cavities or the early stages of gingivitis. The accumulation of bacteria and plaque that discolors your smile can also cause you to have bad breath. In the worst cases, discolored teeth lead to or exacerbate respiratory problems as you continue to breathe in the bacteria sitting on your teeth.
Fortunately, we have the expertise and advanced treatments necessary to reverse the effects of discoloration and help you avoid potential complications.
We want all of our patients to live life with a smile they can be confident in, but we believe that starts with establishing excellent oral health.
Before we begin removing your stains, you’ll meet with Dr. Hernandez for an evaluation so he can conduct a thorough review of your oral health. He checks for problems like cavities or signs of disease and addresses them before proceeding with whitening treatments, which may require an additional office visit.
Talk to Dr. Hernandez about any previous dental work you’ve had, including tooth-colored fillings, crowns, or bridges. Those restorations will need to be replaced after you’ve whitened your teeth to achieve a uniform smile.
When you arrive for your whitening appointment, you’ll recline comfortably in a dentist chair. We use a grainy material called pumice to remove any remaining plaque and gauze and retractors to keep your teeth dry and your lips, tongue, and cheeks from the whitening solution.
We place a barrier along your gum line to completely protect your delicate gum tissue from damage during the procedure. Then, we coat the surface of your teeth with a whitening solution and cure it with a powerful light that activates the whitening agent. This can take anywhere from 30-60 minutes.
Once we’ve reached your desired shade or maximum time has passed, we rinse your teeth and apply a fluoride solution to reduce any sensitivity. Depending on your specific goals, you may need more than one treatment to reach your desired shade.
The first 24 hours following your treatment, we recommend that you avoid consuming pigment-rich foods and beverages and using tobacco products.
And just like that, you’ll leave our office confident in the fact that your smile not only looks great but is healthy, too.
Why spend another day disappointed in your yellow, discolored teeth? Get the professional care you need to face the world with a smile that’s beautiful inside and out. Request an appointment online or over the phone at our Tomball, Texas, location today.
