How to Reduce Sensitivity With Teeth Whitening Trays

Teeth sensitivity is one of the things you might find yourself dealing with after getting whitening treatments. Teeth whitening is one of the most effective ways to improve the color of teeth and it often leads to noticeable results after a single treatment.

It works well on most types of stains, like those caused by aging, smoking or color-rich foods. It is not as effective on stains caused by tetracycline antibiotics, tooth decay and overexposure to fluoride.

Reducing sensitivity during teeth whitening treatments

Professional whitening treatments often involve using a custom mouth tray. The dentist asks the patient to bite down on a mold and the impression left is sent to technicians at a dental lab that makes these mouth trays. It takes a couple of weeks for the lab to make the mouth tray and get it back to the dentist.

The mouth tray serves two important functions during teeth whitening treatments: It immerses the patient's teeth in the whitening solution being used, and it prevents it from getting into soft tissues in the mouth where it can cause irritation.

The whitening product is dispensed on the mouth tray and the patient bites down on it. It is kept in their mouth for about an hour. The dentist might add potassium nitrate to the whitening agent to help reduce teeth sensitivity. Potassium nitrate helps to relax teeth nerves, reducing any irritation caused by the whitening product.

The dentist can follow that up by performing a fluoride treatment when the whitening procedure is completed. Fluoride helps to strengthen teeth enamel, and that also helps to reduce teeth sensitivity.

Patients who have sensitive teeth can give their enamel extra protection by using a desensitizing toothpaste leading up to their whitening treatment. Dentists recommend using such products at least a week before whitening treatments to reduce inflammation.

Dentists can also reduce teeth sensitivity by using less concentrated whitening products. Doing this leads to slower results, but less concentrated whitening products will eventually make teeth as white as professional whitening treatments. Generally speaking, the less concentrated the bleaching agent used to whiten teeth is, the less likely it is to lead to sensitive teeth. Lower concentrations of bleaching agents are also safer on teeth enamel.

Other things that can be done to reduce the teeth sensitivity that occurs as a result of whitening treatments include:

• Space out whitening treatments as recommended by a dentist
• Avoid hot and cold foods for the first few days after getting whitening treatments
• Talk to a dentist about prescription desensitizing products
• Whitening sessions should be no longer than an hour
• Avoid low-quality whitening products that can damage enamel
• Brush teeth gently with a soft toothbrush
• Use a straw when consuming liquids
• Explore other teeth whitening options, like composite resins, veneers or crowns

Improve the color of your teeth

Call or visit our Maitland clinic to learn more about how we can improve the color of your teeth while limiting the teeth sensitivity you experience.

Request an appointment here: https://www.emergencydentistinorlando.com or call Maitland Square Dentistry at (407) 337-1112 for an appointment in our Maitland office.

Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Teeth Whitening in Maitland, FL.