Sensitive Teeth After Tooth Whitening? You May Need Dental Help

Whitening your teeth at home these days is a simple enough process that many people follow in order to give themselves a nicer looking smile. However, tooth whitening products should never leave your teeth in pain or feeling extremely sensitive. If you're having pain or sensitivity after whitening your teeth, you may need help from a dentist. Here's why.

What Dental Whitening Kits Do

Dental whitening kits that are used at home typically contain chemicals like peroxide. This is because rather than actually changing the color of your tooth, at-home whitening kits break down stains that have built up on the surface of the tooth. Peroxide erodes away the surface layer and reveals the tooth underneath, which usually provides the results that people are looking for.

Enamel Damage

Unfortunately, using at-home whitening kits isn't a great idea if you have damaged teeth. To make matters worse, many people don't realize that they have damaged teeth before using one of these kits.

The enamel, or hard protective layer on the outside of your tooth, protects all the interior layers of your tooth. While the outside of your tooth looks like simple, hard bone, it actually contains many sensitive tissues inside of it that are full of nerves and blood vessels. When these parts of the teeth aren't adequately protected, it can be painful for your teeth to come in contact with hot and cold temperatures or even to simply chew.

If that weren't enough, whitening kits can make your enamel damage worse. This is why whitening kits always recommend seeing a dentist and ensuring that your teeth and gums are healthy prior to using the kits.

Getting Help

If you're having sensitivity after using a whitening kit, it's time to head to a dentist. Visit a website like http://www.apollodentalcenter.com to make an appointment. Failure to do so can allow your enamel damage to worsen, or it can expose the internal structures of your teeth to bacteria, viruses, and damage from simple daily activities, like eating.

Your dentist will examine your teeth for damage. If enamel damage is found, there are two possible courses of action. One is to repair the enamel by using a remineralization technique exclusive to dentists. This will help to rebuild your own natural enamel.

In some cases, remineralization is no longer possible, especially if you have extensive enamel damage. In these cases, dental sealant or a crown can be used to protect and seal the tooth.

If you're concerned about the sensitivity in your teeth and don't want to run the risk of permanently harming your teeth, contact a dentist. In the future, make sure to see a dentist before whitening your teeth, or better yet, have a dentist do it for you to ensure that your teeth stay safe while getting whiter.


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