If you have sensitive teeth, finding a whitening product that won’t aggravate the problem and worsen your pain can be difficult. Sometimes, depending on the underlying cause of the sensitivity, teeth whitening is not recommended for patients with sensitive teeth until the underlying issue has been addressed.
What Causes Teeth to Be Sensitive?
Patients can experience teeth sensitivity for a variety of reasons:
- Teeth sensitivity can occur due to normal wear and tear or as a result of a patient grinding or clenching their teeth at night.
- Sometimes, receding gums that expose the dentin cause sensitivity, and gums can recede due toperiodontal disease,bruxism, or age.
- Other times, teeth sensitivity can occur due to a cracked or broken tooth or as a result of tooth decay.
Depending on the underlying cause of teeth sensitivity, a patient may or may not currently be a candidate for teeth whitening. Health concerns like periodontal disease and cavities need to be treated before a patient begins a teeth whitening routine, as the whitening agents can further aggravate these issues.
Additionally, cracked or broken teeth do not whiten as evenly as whole, undamaged teeth. In these cases, our dentists might recommend a different type of cosmetic dentistry treatment to brighten a patient’s smile.
If your teeth just happen to be sensitive, but you do not have any underlying health concerns, then you are a candidate for teeth whitening. You should, however, still choose your whitening product carefully to ensure you do not worsen your tooth sensitivity too radically because whitening agents can lead to new or increased teeth sensitivity.
5 Teeth Whitening Products Designed for Sensitive Teeth
1. Crest 3D White Whitestrips Gentle Routine Teeth Whitening Kit
These whitening strips from Crest use the same powerful whitening agents as the company’s original kits, but in a less-concentrated formula that is designed to be gentle on sensitive teeth. The strips stick to the user’s teeth and should be worn for only the recommended length of time according to the 30-day schedule outlined on the box for optimally gentle whitening results.
2. Sensodyne Extra Whitening Toothpaste
This toothpaste from Sensodyne offers gradual whitening results combined with desensitizing treatment. In addition to enjoying a brighter smile, this toothpaste builds up a protective barrier on the brusher’s teeth, helping to reduce sensitivity.
Although daily brushing does not whiten teeth as quickly as whitening treatments, it is a great option for patients with sensitivity or for maintaining your brighter smile after a professional whitening treatment.
3. Oral Essentials Lumineux Whitening Kit
These whitening strips offer the benefits of Crest’s whitening strips but without harsh ingredients like peroxide. Instead, these strips break up and lift stains using ingredients like sage oil, coconut oil, sea salt, and lemon peel oil. As a result, they are not only a good option for patients with sensitive teeth, but they are also safe for use by patients with porcelain veneers, caps, or crowns.
4. TrueWhite Teeth Whitening Pen
This whitening pen uses powerful whitening agents to break up stains and brighten teeth after just a few uses. It’s a good option for patients who are too sensitive or excited for their brighter smiles to go through the entire Crest White Strips regimen. The whitening agent brushes easily onto the surface of the user’s teeth. With a fresh, minty taste, it is easy to wait the recommended 25 to 30 minutes before eating or drinking anything.
5. In-Office Professional Whitening Treatments
If you have sensitive teeth and are concerned about the effects of using whitening products at home, we strongly recommend having your teeth professionally whitened in the dentist’s office.
In addition to carefully administering your whitening treatments in gentle increments, we can also provide you with medical-grade desensitizing treatments to soothe any extra sensitivity following your whitening appointment. Plus, with professional whitening, our dentists can help you determine the exact level of whitening you can expect and help you achieve the brighter results you desire.
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Find Out Which Teeth Whitening Product Is Right for You
Most people have no problem enduring a little teeth sensitivity — especially if it comes in the name of a brighter smile. However, if a person has moderate to severe sensitivity, then we recommend scheduling a dental exam at Goochland Dentistry before you begin a new teeth whitening routine.
Before whitening a patient’s teeth, our dentists examine their teeth and gums to ensure there are no health concerns that should first be resolved. Once our patient has been given a clean bill of oral health, we give the “okay” to start whitening. We can also talk with patients about the professional whitening and desensitizing treatments that are available in our office or provide patients with product recommendations that are best for whitening sensitive teeth at home.
To learn more about brightening your sensitive smile or to schedule a dental appointment, we invite you to contactGoochland Dentistrytoday.
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