How Long Will it Take Me to Whiten to the Color I Want?
I am about to get a dental crown on a tooth right next to my front one. My teeth have been whitened in the past. What I would like to do is get them as white as they were after I had them done about five years ago. This way I can have the crown the color I want permanently. I asked my dentist about touching up. He gave me everything I needed, like the trays and bleach, but couldn’t tell me how long it would take to get them the right color. How long do I wear the gel? For how many weeks? Do I need to put time between when I stop bleaching and I get the crown? Things like that. Do you have any advice for me on that or know where I can get it?
Amanda
Dear Amanda,
There are general rules for this with the exception of your last question which can be pinpointed more definitively. Basically, the longer you can wear the teeth whitening gel, the faster that your teeth will whiten. If you’re able to tolerate them all night without sensitivity, that would be the fastest because your saliva flows away from your teeth while you’re sleeping. Plus, you wear it for a lot of hours.
If that is too long to wear it, then you would just adjust down. Even if you can only wear them for half an hour each day, they will whiten, just slower. The type of whitening gel you use can also make a difference. Kor Whitening will be stronger because it is kept refrigerated until it is actually used on your teeth.
I couldn’t give you a definitive amount of time because of the factor about how long you can wear them. It would also depend on how white you want them. Only you can answer that. The one thing I can tell you is that you will want to wait about two weeks between the time you stop whitening your teeth until you plan the color of your dental crown. Your whitening gel will continue to whiten for up to two weeks after you stop using the gel.
I will admit that I am a bit concerned that your dentist could not answer these questions for you. They are basic questions, as far as cosmetic dentistry is concerned. You need him to place a dental crown on a visible front tooth. This is more advanced than the questions you are asking. Make sure he places your crown with a temporary try in paste, and that he is willing to send it back to the lab if it doesn’t match perfectly.
This blog is brought to you by a friendly Naples Dentist, Dr. Robert Bracho.
