Is Teeth Whitening With Fillings Safe?

If you’re looking for professional teeth whitening in Palatine, look no further. Everyone wants whiter teeth. Nowadays, more and more people are willing to pay for a bright smile. However, almost everyone has had a crown or a filling done at some point in their life. Thus, the question on people’s minds is Can you get teeth whitening with fillings?

Teeth whitening is a fast and painless process, especially if done by an expert. However, if you’re thinking about getting your teeth whitened and you have fillings or crowns, that’s something you should take into consideration. Here’s everything you need to know about teeth whitening with fillings, crowns, and cavities.

What Happens During Teeth Whitening?

Teeth whitening is a non-invasive process that involves bleaching the teeth with peroxides to make them whiter. Many drugstores carry DIY teeth whitening kits. However, if you want to see results without the risk of harming your teeth, a professional is your best choice.

There are two main ways dentists whiten teeth. Firstly, they can use a bleaching gel. Secondly, they can opt for laser whitening, where they put a bleaching product on your teeth and then shine a laser on them to activate the whitening effect. No matter which method your dentist chooses, they need to examine your teeth beforehand. That way they’ll see if you have any cavities, along with where your fillings and crowns are.

Is Teeth Whitening With Fillings a Good Idea?

Fillings are made out of a ceramic or resin material. They are quite durable, so you don’t have to worry about ruining them by whitening your teeth. You can even whiten your teeth immediately after you get a filling or a crown, as it can help make the bond between the tooth and the filling stronger.

On the other hand, you shouldn’t get fillings, veneers, or crowns for two weeks after whitening your teeth. It takes a while for your teeth to heal completely from the bleach, thus another procedure after bleaching may damage them.

Can You Whiten Fillings?

Unfortunately, although teeth whitening with fillings is harmless, fillings themselves can’t be whitened. Resin and ceramic don’t react to chemical whiteners. Since crowns and fillings are made of these materials, you won’t be able to whiten them with bleach.

You should consider the placement of your fillings if you’re thinking about whitening your teeth. Peroxides react with the surface stains on your teeth. The oxygen molecules break down the stains, leaving your teeth whiter. However, they can’t do the same with fillings or crowns. Therefore, your fillings will stay the same color while your teeth whiten, leading to a discolored appearance.

If you need to get fillings, but you also want to whiten your teeth, you should do the whitening procedure first. Once your teeth are as white as you want them to be, your dentist can match the color of the resin to the color of your teeth. That way, your teeth will look more uniform and evenly colored.

Should You Whiten Your Teeth With Cavities?

Long story short, you should not whiten your teeth if you have untreated cavities. There are several reasons why cavities and bleach shouldn’t mix.

Firstly, cavity treatment trumps any cosmetic procedure. There are many problems untreated cavities can cause, including tooth decay (click here for more on untreated cavities).

Secondly, any tooth with decay or caries is extremely sensitive. Since tooth bleach can irritate even the healthiest teeth, you should definitely steer clear of it if your teeth aren’t in optimal shape.

How Does Hydrogen Peroxide Interact With Cavities?

The chemical most often used in teeth whitening bleach is hydrogen peroxide. Since the job of hydrogen peroxide is to destroy the stains on the tooth enamel, it’s not surprising it can cause damage to a decaying tooth. An unhealthy tooth is more likely to be sensitive to peroxide, which can cause pain. Additionally, in some cases, you can even permanently ruin a tooth with a cavity while bleaching it.

Before you get a whitening treatment, it’s important to have a dentist take a look at your teeth. That’s mandatory if you get your teeth professionally whitened. However, you should set up an appointment with your dentist even if you want to try an over-the-counter teeth whitening kit. You may have a hidden cavity, even if you haven’t had tooth pain in years, and it’s better to be safe than sorry.

What Should I Do if I Have A Cavity but Want to Whiten My Teeth?

Once you’ve done the responsible thing and decided to fix your teeth, one question remains. How do you get your teeth and filling to be the same color? If you have to fix your cavities and whiten your teeth, there are a few ways you can go about it:

• Firstly, you can opt for whitening your teeth before filling the cavities. Once you treat your dental caries, you won’t need to fill the cavities immediately. That gives you the chance to whiten your teeth before you decide on the color of your fillings. If you choose this option, you can expect the fillings to match your teeth perfectly. However, since your teeth were treated recently, they may still be sensitive. That can cause pain and discomfort, but you can mitigate the pain by taking ibuprofen before your whitening session.
• Secondly, you can try to estimate the color your teeth will be after whitening and choose that color for your fillings. Once you get your fillings, ask your dentist to get your teeth as close to that color as possible. This is a good choice if you have fillings on teeth that aren’t too visible. However, you may not be happy with the result if the fillings are on your front teeth, as you likely won’t get a perfect color match.
• Lastly, if you try approximating the color of your fillings and you end up unhappy with the result, you can always replace the fillings. In that case, the fillings will match perfectly with your teeth, and you won’t have to deal with tooth insensitivity. However, you will be spending twice as much money on fillings, which is an expense few can afford.

Conclusion

Teeth whitening with fillings will not cause any issues for you. However, the fillings won’t lighten, which can cause your teeth to look discolored. Still, you can opt to get fillings after you whiten your teeth or change the fillings if you’re not happy with the color. On the other hand, you should never whiten your teeth if you have any cavities or tooth decay, as it can lead to further problems.