Finding A Great Dentist

Why Is My Home Whitening Not Working?

6 June 2017

Kenzi Thompson

Teeth whitening strips are an affordable over-the-counter solution that can work for some people. However, they're not a guaranteed solution. Here are some reasons your home whitening may not be working.

You're Not Making Enough Contact with the Teeth

Home whitening solutions use concentrations of hydrogen peroxide to lift stains out of teeth. Therefore, they depend on strong and continuous contact with the tooth's surface to work.

Some home solutions can be difficult to apply correctly. For example, whitening strips must be pressed firmly onto the entire surface of the tooth in order to work correctly. Your problem might be that strips aren't attached correctly.

It could also be that the solution isn't being used frequently enough or for a long enough duration of time. If you're using whitening toothpaste, set a timer while brushing to ensure you're exposing your teeth for long enough periods of time. If you use a gel, ensure that it doesn't wash away before its time is up.

Your Teeth Need to Be Cleaned

If you haven't been for a dental cleaning in a while, it could be that your teeth need to be cleaned first. Plaque naturally builds up on top of your tooth enamel, but it creates a barrier to your enamel so that the hydrogen peroxide can't actually reach your teeth. Aside from ensuring that you're flossing and brushing correctly, consider a dental cleaning to do a hard reset and begin your whitening treatments again.

Your Stains Don't Respond to Peroxide

Some types of stains won't respond to peroxide at all. If it's a genetic issue and you've had stains from birth, these probably won't come out with whitening strips. If your teeth stains are due to tobacco use, peroxide isn't a good choice, either. But your dentist can tell you if there's anything else you can do about these stains.

You Need a Professional

Some cases of tooth stains simply require professional whitening. If you find that home whitening isn't working, consider dental teeth whitening. It's more effective for a few reasons. For one, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide is stronger. Another benefit is that teeth whitening can be done right after a cleaning, so that the teeth whitening solution comes in direct contact with enamel (rather than plaque). And finally, dentists will use teeth whitening trays that follow the contour of your teeth, creating better contact. In short, it often solves some of the problems above.

For more information, you will want to check out a website such as http://www.lindendentalnaples.com.

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