Will Zoom Whitening Fix Uneven Color?

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My daughter recently got off her braces. When that happened, there were white spots on her teeth. I asked our dentist about it and she sugested zoom whitneing. I don’t know if she did something wrong or not, but it seemed to make the white spots worse. It is a new service she’s offering so maybe she missed a step? I’d really like to help my daughter get this fixed because she is very self-conscous about her teeth and had been looking forward to getting her braces off. This feels like a let-down to her. Do you have any advice for us? Teenagers are really sensitive and some of her peers have been mean.

Kaitlin

Dear Kaitlin,

I am glad you wrote and am sorry for your daughter’s disappointment. It is not easy being a teenager even when everything is going smoothly. It appears that your dentist is a bit confused about the principles behind teeth whitening. You mentioned this is a new procedure for her so she may be still learning.

The reason the Zoom Whitening did not work on your daughter’s white spots is not because your dentist did anything wrong. It is actually because that is not how teeth whitening works. Both in-office whitening, like Zoom, or take home whitening are very effective, however, the bleaching process works on the teeth evenly. Because of that, the white spots get whiter along with the rest of her teeth. That is why they look worse now.

White spots after braces are caused by decalcification. These are precursors to decay and are fairly common in teens after traditional braces. Many teenagers tend to not brush adequately around all those metal wires and brackets. One solution to this is a product called Tooth Mousse. It will remineralize the teeth and preven the spots from turning into decay. They don’t make any aesthetic claims, however. If after the spots are remineralized, if there is still a color difference I recommend you bring her to an excellent cosmetic dentist to have dental bonding done on those spots.

Don’t have your current dentist do the bonding. This is a much more advanced cosmetic procedure than teeth whitening and she is still learning that. Start with the tooth mousse, then go from there.

This blog is brought to you by Moline Dentist Dr. Thomas Goebel.