Dental Health Dental Health Procedures

The Basics on Brightening Your Smile

Summary & Participants

There is no shortage of ways to perk up your pearly whites these days. But it's important to get the facts first.

Medically Reviewed On: August 07, 2008

Webcast Transcript

Lynn: It sounds kind of corny, but it does give you a boost of confidence.

ANNOUNCER: Like millions of Americans, Lynn wanted to put the gleam back in her smile so she asked her dentist to whiten her teeth

Lynn: It takes off the years of just, you know, having a little coffee, having a little red wine.

Stephen Tympanick, DDS: You either do the in-office one-hour visit or you take home a kit that takes fourteen days to whiten your teeth. Doing it slowly makes it easier to judge how the progress, how the whitening is going, how the patient’s feeling and then they can stop it, too.

ANNOUNCER: Teeth whitening is the number one requested dental cosmetic service these days and not just in the dentist’s office. Americans spend more than a billion dollars on over-the-counter teeth-whitening products annually. But experts say it’s important not to over-do it

Stephen Tympanick, DDS: There have certainly been stories about people turning almost their teeth blue because they've gone past the point of using it regularly and they're using it way too much and it's causing problems, along with the sensitivity and the gum irritation.

ANNOUNCER: And teeth whitening is not suitable for all types of teeth

Stephen Tympanick, DDS: I would not recommend whitening if they've had a lot of fillings in the front teeth. The fillings will not, you know, change color and the teeth will. People with tetracycline staining stains and darkness in their teeth and whitening, you know, will not do anything to help that.

ANNOUNCER: It’s important to realize that whitening your teeth takes a real commitment

Stephen Tympanick, DDS: I use the example of getting your hair colored, that you need to maintain that and the same thing with the whitening. It's not a onetime thing. When people come in, they have to do the treatment and they have to stick with it

ANNOUNCER: But if you stick with it, your smile can really stand out

Lynn: Now it’s like this great greeting card. You’re putting your best face forward, your best smile forward.

ANNOUNCER: Thanks for joining us on today’s Once Daily!