Along with a perfect wedding, many brides also want a perfect smile. When making appointments for dress alterations, floral arrangements and reception details, schedule a dental visit, too. Schedule a thorough check-up and cleaning at least a year before the wedding. If you’re unhappy with your smile, your dentist will have enough time to perfect your teeth by the wedding.
Several options exist to correct the shape, color, alignment and look of teeth. New and improved smiles don’t happen overnight; timing needs to be considered. Veneers and bleaching can take up to two weeks to two months and braces can take from one to two years. Have procedures completed at least two months in advance, in case problems need to be corrected and so the mouth has time to adjust to cosmetic changes.
Tooth bleaching isn’t just for the movie stars and it isn’t just for one day. Millions of people have had their teeth bleached and probably millions more are thinking about it. The desire for whiter teeth is very strong and tooth bleaching safely lightens the color of the teeth, lasting for up to three years. The most effective and safest method of tooth bleaching is dentist-supervised.
Generally, bleaching is successful in at least 90 percent of patients. Consider tooth bleaching if your teeth are darkened from age, coffee, tea or smoking. Teeth darkened with the color of yellow, brown or orange respond better to lightening. Other types of gray stains caused by fluorosis, smoking or tetracyline are lightened, but results are not as dramatic. If you have very sensitive teeth, periodontal disease or teeth with worn enamel, your dentist may discourage bleaching.
There are basically two options when bleaching teeth, in-office versus at-home bleaching. At the beginning, the dentist will give an initial examination on your teeth and record the shade you have and then determine whether you are a candidate for tooth bleaching and what type of bleaching system should be used. If you’re in a big hurry for whiter teeth, you may decide to have in-office bleaching where the dentist will whiten your teeth in a dental chair. The detailed bleaching procedures will be addressed in the next issue.
For more information, please call Dr. Sun at 661-799-8800, go to www.DrSunDDS.com or visit her dental office at 23450 Lyons Avenue, Suite B, Newhall.