Have you tried any home remedies to whiten your teeth yet? Don’t try anything without checking with a trusted Greenville dentist first. Without proper, professional guidance, some fixes may just be a waste of your time, money, and efforts. At worst, the unproven or inappropriate treatment may even damage your pearly whites permanently.
What others have tried
A few individuals go as far as using whatever whitening or cleaning tool they have at home. Anne Nugent Guignon, a recognized dental hygienist, asked fellow members of the Colgate Oral Health Advisor’s Facebook community to share patient anecdotes. Guignon’s entertaining article for RDH magazine shows just how silly people can get in their quest for whiter teeth:
New York-based Melissa recounted an interesting new patient, a woman in her late 70s or early 80s. The patient arrived for the appointment with Kool-Aid-red hair and all dressed up in a fake fur coat. During the taking of X-rays, the patient complained of an odd taste in her mouth.
Melissa noticed white stuff flaking off the woman’s teeth. The patient’s response was priceless: “Well, that’s just what happens to the Wite-Out after a while!” Apparently, the woman had been painting her teeth with typewriter correction fluid twice a day for years. To this day, Melissa still wonders about the woman’s curious taste in hair and clothing, not to mention her attempts to have white teeth.
While a mom of three kids in Hartford still stands by Clorox “to freshen their breath and whiten their teeth,” a patient in Florida “ended up with abscesses inside his cheeks” after rinsing with bleach.
Some people have also tried natural remedies suggested by experts on the internet or on television. While many of these have merit and are actually based on scientific experiments and studies, they may not always be completely safe or effective.
What you should do
You can choose either at-home or in-office whitening solutions provided by a qualified dentist. The main difference is that with professional treatments, a dentist can provide you with realistic expectations on the outcome, guide your progress, and make sure your pearly whites stay beautiful for a long time. An experienced Greenville, SC dentist like Dr. Brian Derrick of Falls Park Dentistry provides quality services, including ZOOM! In-Office Whitening System and Take Home Whitening.
(Source: You just can’t make this stuff up!, RDH, August 20, 2014)