Get Ready for Valentine’s Day With a Brighter, Whiter Smile

Valentine’s Day marks not only one of our oldest holidays, but also one filled with a lot of change over the years. Starting as a pagan fertility feast that lasted three days, it became a Christian celebration named after St. Valentine in 496. The use of the heart as a symbol of love didn’t start until the 14th century, and cards entered the scene about 400 years later.

Regardless of how it all started, Valentine’s Day means celebrating romantic love for millions around the world, and if you have plans to share it with someone, you might feel that a brighter smile could help you both enjoy the evening more. Find out what teeth whitening can do for your teeth and the impact it can have on showing off your smile.

Dr. Elena Davisdon and the dedicated staff at Davidson Dental Group serve the dental needs of residents of San Leandro, Castro Valley, Oakland, California, including helping them share a brighter smile with teeth whitening.

Tooth discoloration basics

Teeth aren’t bright white as a default; the normal color is determined by the thickness of the protective coating of enamel (which is translucent off-white) and the layer of dentin underneath (which is yellowish). Changes in color happen on the surface (extrinsic) and underneath the surface (intrinsic) of teeth for several reasons:

Staining: Smoking, some foods and some drinks can stain teeth, darkening them.

Bad oral hygiene: Not properly brushing and flossing teeth on a regular basis can lead to discoloration.

Genetics: The color of your teeth can be inherited.

Aging: The enamel on teeth wears away as you age, making them yellower.

Trauma: Mouth injuries can affect the color of teeth.

Diseases: Calcium deficiency, liver disease, celiac disease, and other metabolic disorders affect your teeth.

Medications: Some antibiotics and antihistamines affect tooth color.

How teeth whitening works

To give your teeth a bright, white look, bleaching agents can be applied with toothpaste, mouthwash, whitening kits at home, or treatments in the office. Common ingredients in bleaching solutions include hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide, both of which are oxidizing agents that break down and reduce staining on teeth.

Home whitening kits can use gels, strips, or trays that fit like a mouthguard over your teeth. They have a reduced concentration of bleaching agents, so they can’t work as quickly or effectively as our office products. To get your teeth their brightest, we use Phillips® Zoom! This process takes about 90 minutes and safely changes the color.

Who can get whiter teeth?

If you have your natural teeth, we can tell you if teeth whitening is for you. An exam will show if you have any underlying dental conditions that might affect the process. These conditions can affect the color of your teeth, making whitening ineffective.

Gray or black teeth are severely decayed or damaged. Brown teeth often are the result of smoking. These issues need to be managed before whitening can provide tangible results. Implants and veneers can’t be whitened, as the process is only effective on natural teeth.

To get teeth ready for your Valentine, call or message our San Leandro, California, office today to find out how we can help.