Is It Okay to Do a Teeth Whitening After Gum Disease Treatment?

Teeth whitening improves your smile, making it more attractive and healthy. However, the treatment is not recommended for everyone. For example, you cannot have a teeth whitening treatment if you have gum disease. However, most people ask if they can whiten their teeth after treating gum disease. Read on to learn whether this is possible.

What Is Teeth Whitening?

Teeth can stain or discolor due to poor oral hygiene, smoking, aging, or decay. They can also lose their brilliant color because of taking certain foods, beverages, or medication. When this happens, your teeth become unattractive and unhealthy looking.

Fortunately, you can remove the stains through a process known as teeth whitening. It involves using a special bleaching agent to oxidize the tooth and lift the stains. There are two types of teeth whitening procedures; home and professional.

For home bleaching, you will use over–the–counter whitening products or ones found in the kitchen. The process is easy and less costly than in-office whitening. However, it does not achieve excellent results and may damage your teeth and gums.

Professional or in-office bleaching is performed in a dental office setting. The experts at cosmetic dentistry in Niagara falls use a highly concentrated bleaching agent. They also use special lights during the procedure. As a result, they safely remove almost all types of stains within a short time. In addition, the effects of the whitening treatments last longer.

Why Is It Unsafe to Whiten Teeth When You Have Gum Disease?

Gum disease is characterized by bleeding, tender, red and swollen gums. If you have it, you will experience pain and irritation when consuming hot, acidic, or spicy foods. The compounds used during teeth whitening treatment have the same effects but are more severe.

Gum disease causes gaps to develop between your teeth and gums. During whitening, the bleaching agents can enter your tooth roots through the openings. Consequently, your tooth nerves will be irritated and may become permanently damaged. As a result, you may experience severe tooth pain, sensitivity, dental pulp infections, and tooth loss.

In addition, the bleaching agents may worsen the infection causing it to enter the blood. This will result in life-threatening systemic issues. Therefore, the dentist in Niagara falls will not whiten your teeth when you have gum disease. Instead, they will advise you to treat it before the procedure to avoid complications.

Is It Okay to Whiten Your Teeth After Gum Disease Treatment?

Gum disease affects your smile and confidence and makes it hard to eat or speak. Fortunately, it can be treated or managed in various ways. If the condition is in the initial stages, the dentist will treat it through root scaling, planning, and gum pocket reduction. However, if it advanced, the expert will manage it to prevent further damage to your mouth.

After gum disease treatment, you may want to spruce up your smile by whitening your teeth. Although it is okay to have the treatment, there are some conditions involved. For example, you cannot whiten your teeth until the dentist allows you to. They will evaluate the health of your gums to ensure whitening will not cause complications.

In addition, you should not whiten your teeth at home or away from the dentist’s office. It is because you may use strong products that permanently damage your gums. Also, you may leave the bleaching agent longer than recommended affecting your gums.

When you go to the dentist, they will first evaluate the condition of your gums before whitening them. Once they ensure that it is safe to undergo the process, they will select an ideal whitening option. They may choose the Zoom!, Phillips, Laser, or Kor teeth whitening systems.

Before beginning the process, they will apply protective gels to your gums. They may also use rubber sheaths to shield your gums from the bleaching agents. Doing this reduces the risk of gum irritation during the whitening process. Afterwards, they will rinse your mouth properly to ensure no whitening agents remain.

Therefore, when you want to whiten your teeth after gum disease treatment, visit the experts at Monarch Dentistry. We will provide the right teeth whitening treatment for you based on the condition of your gums. In addition, we will take all precautions to perform the procedure safely.