When you’re ashamed of how your teeth look, you don’t want to smile. But smiling is important for so many reasons — it improves your mood, makes you more approachable and even can help boost your immune system. If your teeth are yellow or otherwise discolored, our Cherry Hill, NJ, dental clinic can help you with teeth whitening.
What Causes Teeth to Discolor?
One of the biggest reasons teeth become discolored is due to age. Yellowing of the teeth is a natural part of aging, but also all the foods and beverages we consume for decades take their toll, even if you brush and floss regularly and visit the dentist twice a year.
Some foods and drinks that hasten staining include coffee, tea, colas, red wine, red sauce, berries, fruit juice, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. The condition of our teeth is, in large part, hereditary, so you and a friend could have the same diet and your teeth may be more stained than theirs. In fact, some staining cannot be corrected with teeth whitening. In these instances, our dentist recommends porcelain veneers or crowns.
Smoking, vaping and chewing tobacco also cause staining.
Teeth Whitening in Cherry Hill
At our Cherry Hill dental clinic, you can choose from two types of teeth whitening procedures. The first is done in our dentist office. It’s a powerful procedure that takes about an hour, during which time you sit under a special light that speeds up the chemical reaction of the bleach on your teeth.
For those who prefer to do their teeth whitening in the privacy of their own homes, we have take-home kits. You put a strip on each day/night for an hour for a week . During this time, for best results you should avoid smoking and foods that stain your teeth.
Better Dental Care for Whiter Teeth
Our dentist recommends teeth whitening be done only once per year, so if you’re a smoker, you may want to try to quit or at least cut back. If you drink your coffee or tea black, adding some milk to it will help prevent staining. For those who love fruit juice or red wine, you may feel silly, but drinking these beverages with a straw helps the liquid bypass your teeth.
When you do indulge in foods or beverages that stain your teeth, try to brush immediately afterward with an abrasive toothpaste.
If you’re concerned that your teeth aren’t as white as they could be, make an appointment for teeth whitening at our Cherry Hill, NJ, dental clinic. Both our in-home teeth whitening kits and our in-office teeth whitening procedures are far superior to any over-the-counter products you can buy at local drug stores.