Three Things You Need To Do Before You Have Your Teeth Professionally Cleaned

Dentist Blog

So, you have decided to get a professional teeth cleaning. You have asked your dentist to do the job, and he/she has agreed. However, your dentist might have a few pre-procedure requirements for you to complete. There are also reasons behind completing these prerequisites. 

Tooth Fillings

​If you have cavities, your dentist will want to make sure all of the cavities are filled. That is because cavities are already erosions of the enamel, and are weak spots in the teeth. When the cleaning agent is applied, the cavities can deepen and create more work for the dentist should he/she decide to fill the cavities after the fact. If you are already experiencing pain from a cavity, it means that a nerve is exposed, and the whitening agent would exacerbate this issue. 

​Root Canals

​If you think that the pain from a cavity would be unpleasant after the application of teeth whitening solution, you can bet that the need for a root canal would be even more excruciating. Part of the affected tooth is already dead, but the remaining nerve tissue and exposed pulp would definitely not respond in a positive manner to the teeth cleaning solution. Ergo, your dentist will want to complete any needed root canal work before whitening your teeth.

Crowns

​Crowning broken teeth is also necessary prior to whitening teeth. You will want to repair the affected teeth by crowning them. Then the whitening process can be used to match the whiteness of the crowns to the color of your natural teeth. That way, the crowns and the newly whitened teeth after the fact will all be the same color, and nothing with be obvious or out of the ordinary in regards to the uniformity of your teeth. 

​Do Not Have Any of the Above Issues? 

​If you do not have any of the above issues to worry about, then your dentist and hygienist can move forward with teeth cleaning and whitening your teeth. The process itself is very simple, and it does not take much longer than thirty minutes to an hour. Your hygienist will keep track of the cleanings, while your dentist will watch for any adverse effects from the whitening solution. (Typically, there are no real adverse effects with whitening solution, but some people have shown an allergic reaction or sensitivity to the solution.) You may repeat this process in six months to maintain the health and whiteness of your teeth.

Share

3 January 2019

Fluoride: Why I Drink Tap Water

When the bottled water craze began, I jumped on the bandwagon with everyone else who was drinking water from bottles instead of from the tap. I wasn't sure why bottled water was healthier, but I liked the taste. When I went for my next dental check-up, I had my first cavity in a while, so I had it filled and didn't think much of it. Well, I had two more during my next check-up after that, and I began trying to think of why my teeth were suddenly going bad. The only change in my habits was the switch to bottled water, so I made the switch back to tap water and my teeth began to improve. I created this blog to encourage others who have begun getting cavities suddenly to look into their changes in habits. They may find they made a change similar to mine.