I would like to know why teeth whitening doesn’t work for me. I’ve had brown stains on six teeth since a childhood illness. I’ve tried five brands of at-home whitening, and none of them work.
My dentist even tried to whiten the stains, but now they look darker, and my other teeth are super white. The whitening made the stains more noticeable. Now I am afraid to let her try whitening my teeth again. Can you recommend a brand that maybe my dentist doesn’t know about? Thank you. Trey from Seattle
We recommend that you not allow your dentist to continue whitening your teeth. It seems that she does not understand the effects of teeth whitening on brown spots.
Why Doesn’t Teeth Whitening Work for You?
If teeth whitening does not work for you, it might be because of the product you are using, the type of tooth stains or spots, or strength of the bleaching gel.
Product type – Whitening toothpaste does not remove deeply embedded stains. And products like whitening strips, toothpaste, or baking soda will have limited results, if any.
Bleaching gel strength – If you use bleaching gel to whiten your teeth, the contents may not be potent enough. Dentists use bleaching gel that contains carbamide peroxide. A dentist can determine the strength of the bleaching gel you need to remove embedded stains.
Types of stains or spots – Stains that you acquire when your teeth are developing may not respond to bleaching gel. For example, tetracycline stains result from taking the antibiotic tetracycline while teeth are developing. Although tetracycline stains may respond to bleaching, porcelain veneers are more effective. Bleaching makes brown spots and fluorosis stains worse.
What Are Your Options When Teeth Whitening Does Not Work?
When teeth whitening does not work on stains or spots, an advanced cosmetic dentist can improve them with microabrasion, dental bonding, or porcelain veneers. The treatment a cosmetic dentist recommends depends on the type and severity of the stains or spots.
Microabrasion – A dentist uses hydrochloric acid and pumice to remove white spots gently. After treatment, your tooth color will be a creamy shade.
Dental bonding – Cosmetic dentists apply bonding directly onto your teeth. But it requires artistic ability to blend and layer bonding to mimic natural tooth color and appearance.
Porcelain veneers – Thin shells of custom-made porcelain can conceal brown spots in teeth. And a skilled cosmetic dentist places veneers with minimal tooth preparation. For details, read our post Do Porcelain Veneers Ruin Your Teeth?
Most dentists lack the advanced training, artistic talent, and experience to conceal stains and spots that do not respond to bleaching. Schedule a consultation with an accredited cosmetic dentist.
The first reason that teeth whitening might not work is that your expectations don't align with the natural color of your teeth. It's important to understand that teeth are not naturally completely white. Dentin, the substance that makes up your teeth, is actually a light yellow color.
If teeth whitening does not work for you, it might be because of the product you are using, the type of tooth stains or spots, or strength of the bleaching gel. Product type – Whitening toothpaste does not remove deeply embedded stains.
You may not see it, but your teeth may have a dirty biofilm or layer of plaque buildup that is preventing the whitening agents from targeting your tooth stains. Consider teeth whitening after your next routine dental cleaning.
The fact is, not all teeth respond to whitening. Furthermore, it is important to understand what whitening products you use can really make all the difference. Let's consider certain things that might keep your teeth whitening treatment from working.
The natural color of teeth can vary due to various factors, including genetics, age, and lifestyle habits. Some individuals naturally have teeth that are darker or have a yellowish tint. These teeth may have a denser enamel layer or more pigmented dentin, making them more resistant to whitening treatments.
Teeth can become temporarily dehydrated after using whitening strips. Your teeth may appear more yellow as a result of this dehydration because the enamel may become dry and lack moisture. Dehydrated enamel sometimes has a transparent appearance that makes the naturally yellowish dentin underneath visible.
Tooth discoloration caused by medication, health conditions, or lost enamel may not respond well (or at all) to whitening treatments. On the other hand, stains from lifestyle and diet tend to respond well, but very heavy staining may require intensive whitening or other treatments to get the results you want.
Darkening or relapse of the tooth shade is expected after whitening. Relapse of shade occurs almost immediately as the freshly whitened dehydrated tooth rehydrates. Repetitive prolonged exposure of the chemical is the only way to achieve optimal results.
Age. The biggest contributor to yellowing teeth is age. After years of hard work, the enamel, the protective layer that covers every tooth, wears away and the dentin becomes more visible. The dentin, the final layer before reaching the dental pulp cavity, is naturally more yellow in colour than the enamel.
Bleaching cannot correct discoloration due to a weakened enamel, decay, and trauma. That's where porcelain veneers come in. Porcelain veneers are able to fix: Cracked, damaged, or broken teeth.
The chemicals break down the stain molecules that cause teeth to darken. Plaque buildup can block these whitening chemicals from reaching the stained teeth. Schedule a dental cleaning appointment first before using teeth whitening strips. This can prepare your teeth well for the whitening process.
Tooth Whitening doesn't work for everyone, but unfortunately, some people don't care and will continually whiten their teeth to the point of enamel damage.
Darkening or relapse of the tooth shade is expected after whitening. Relapse of shade occurs almost immediately as the freshly whitened dehydrated tooth rehydrates. Repetitive prolonged exposure of the chemical is the only way to achieve optimal results.
The chemicals break down the stain molecules that cause teeth to darken. Plaque buildup can block these whitening chemicals from reaching the stained teeth. Schedule a dental cleaning appointment first before using teeth whitening strips. This can prepare your teeth well for the whitening process.
When gel and saliva mix your whitening can get weaker, look splotchy, and even fail completely! Whitening kits you buy at the store aren't made for your particular mouth – they're one size fits all, and you know what that means: they don't really fit anyone!
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I would like to know why teeth whitening doesn’t work for me. I’ve had brown stains on six teeth since a childhood illness. I’ve tried five brands of at-home whitening, and none of them work.