Don't Let a Missing Tooth Hold You Back in Life

Brace Face: How People Can Sometimes Tell That You Had Braces And How To Remove The Evidence With Teeth Whitening

by Wyatt Morgan

Most of the time people cannot tell that you ever had braces, but sometimes some people are not so lucky. The adhesive that adheres metal brackets to your teeth can leave faint stains or outlines of where the brackets once were. Patients who did not brush regularly and often may also have some mild discoloration on their teeth, but it shows up on the areas of the teeth that the brackets and wires did not cover up. If you have some weird stains or mottling as an after-effect of orthodontia, then teeth whitening can help. Here is how.

Precision Laser Whitening

To target just the areas on your teeth where the faint outlines of brackets still sit, your dentist could use precision laser whitening. This procedure helps target specific areas on your teeth, whitening just those areas so that they blend into the surrounding tooth enamel. A little extra grit polish pre-laser or post laser will also help smooth out any slightly rough or raised edges left behind after the brackets were removed from your teeth.

Professional Bleaching

The word "bleaching" in dentistry is a bit of a misnomer; bleach is never the main ingredient in tooth whitening products. Actual bleach should never be used because it is poisonous and highly corrosive, which can erode the enamel on your teeth.  Instead, a more concentrated form of hydrogen peroxide is used to achieve the whitening results. When your dentist applies the professional-grade whitening gel in specialized dental trays, the gel eats away at the stains and the discolorations left on your teeth where food sat stuck in your braces. Those food particles then developed into acids that caused the stains and discolorations. Additional ingredients in the gel that your dentist uses helps protect the enamel during the whitening process. 

Applying Protective Sealants after Your Whitening Procedure

As a final means to discourage any stains from returning too quickly, your dentist may apply a special sealant that helps the teeth stay white. This is also effective if you have some slightly rough edges on your teeth where the braces used to be. The sealant will protect the whitened rough areas by filling in the minute spaces that may be to either side of these roughened edges. Good oral hygiene will prolong your whitening effects too, making sure your days of "brace face" are long behind you. Contact a business, such as Accent On Dentistry - Rowena R Martir DMD, for more information. 

Share