If you’re interested in having your teeth whitened, you probably can’t wait to get started. Understandable, but there are a few things you can do before starting to improve the final result, including having your teeth professionally cleaned.
Even if you brush and floss religiously, it’s hard to clean your teeth as effectively as a professional would. A dentist or hygienist will use all the right tools to get your teeth as clean as possible – here’s why you should have that done prior to whitening.
Remove Tartar
When plaque isn’t properly cleaned away through regular brushing and flossing, it hardens into tartar. Tartar sticks to your teeth and cannot be removed through brushing alone – you need to have it manually scraped away by a professional. This is good for your oral health, and it also serves to improve tooth whitening results because whitening gels cannot penetrate tartar. As such, you may notice the corners and crevices of your teeth failing to become any lighter, creating a patchy and uneven appearance.
Remove Stains
Whitening gels remove stains by penetrating tooth enamel, reacting with discoloured molecules, and breaking the bonds that hold them together. However, not all tooth stains need to be removed through gels. When you visit your dentist, you can have your teeth polished to remove surface stains that have not yet penetrated the enamel to become permanent. Such stains present a barrier through which whitening gels will need to work, so it’s best to have them removed before you start.
Remove Food Debris
Smaller pieces of food are very good at finding their way into hard-to-reach areas of your mouth, so debris can collect regardless of how vigilant you are with your toothbrush. A dentist or hygienist will use special equipment to remove this food debris, and that’s something you should have done before whitening your teeth. Much like tartar, food debris will block the whitening gel and prevent an even finish.
