Why is My Teeth Whitening Not Working?
Have you tried whitening toothpaste, whitening strips, and even bleaching trays but you're still sporting those dingy, yellowish looking teeth?
Could you be doing teeth whitening all wrong?
Are your teeth destined to be stained, gray or yellow forever?
The truth is, not everyones teeth or tooth stains respond to whitening the same as everyone else.
Each one of us humans are made differently and we will respond to teeth whitening differently.
Also what matters is how you prepare to whiten your teeth.
The ingredients in your teeth whitening products will make a difference in the outcome and how white your teeth will be in the end of your whitening sessions.
Let’s look at some things that will help your teeth whitening treatment work well for you.
You’re Overdue for Your Dental Hygiene Appointment
Whitening products work when the active agent (Most teeth whitening products include, hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide) enters the outer enamel and works to break apart the molecules that are responsible for tooth discoloration.
If your teeth have biofilm or plaque buildup, this can prevent the main ingredients from reaching the specific areas of each tooth, that target stains.
Before considering any teeth whitening treatment, it’s best to schedule an appointment for a dental exam and cleaning. Preventive dental cleanings remove all signs of biofilm and plaque on the surface of your teeth. Before you begin any teeth whitening treatment always be sure you have healthy teeth and gums.
A dental hygienist will professionally polish your teeth to remove any stains and this is the best way to prepare for teeth whitening treatments.
Old Discolored Dental Restorations
Dental restorations, such as crowns, veneers, or implants, etc., DO NOT respond to tooth whitening products.
If you have old, discolored tooth-colored restorations, especially on your front teeth that show when you smile, it’s best to have these removed. Before you remove these discolored restorations plan to use a whitening product such as Celebrity Smiles, so your new restorations will match your beautiful white teeth.
Some teeth whitening products can whiten the stains around these old tooth-colored fillings but the tooth-colored fillings can never change to a whiter color when you do use a tooth whitening product.
These tooth-colored fillings were placed to match your tooth color at that time and if you want whiter teeth, now is the time to upgrade your smile by 1st using Celebrity Smiles teeth whitening and once you have that beautiful, white smile, now you need to schedule a dental appointment to update the color of these tooth-colored fillings.
Why Some Stains Will Not Change to A Whiter Color
There are two different types of teeth stains: extrinsic and intrinsic.
Extrinsic stains are the stains that occur within the surface of tooth enamel.
These stains are caused by what you eat or drink, as well as tobacco use. These stains are what can be changed more easily when you whiten your teeth.
Intrinsic stains occur within the inner portion of the tooth.
They can occur from overuse of fluoride, certain medications, dental injury or in utero. They can often have a grayish appearance. These stains do not respond to whitening treatments; however, we do have some Celebrity Smiles customers who tell us the Celebrity Smiles LED light and our whitening gel worked very well to change or lighten the grayish color of their teeth.
Grayish colored teeth are usually from Tetracycline Stain (An antibiotic that some people used as a very young child or the mother used while she was pregnant and this affected the child's teeth).
It’s important to note that if you do have a grayish color, teeth whitening is your 1st choice to have whiter teeth. Once you have used a teeth whitening product such as Celebrity Smiles, and if you are still not happy with the appearance of your teeth, do schedule a consultation with a dentist who has experience providing dental veneers.
Dental veneers can be a great solution to this problem and after you have used Celebrity Smiles teeth whitening with LED lights.
Poor Placement of the Teeth Whitening Product
The tooth whitening ingredients must have optimal contact with your teeth. When using whitening strips, for example, you are often unable to achieve full tooth contact, these strips will easily slip off your tooth surface.
This is why I personally do not like teeth whitening strips.
It’s important to note that whitening products take time and not everyone will have beautiful, white teeth after one session of tooth whitening.
Most people who use the Celebrity Smiles teeth whitening kit experience whiter teeth after at least seven consecutive 10-minute or 15-minute sessions.
Everyone’s teeth are different so there is no one size fits all when whitening your teeth.
We just heard from Lori (See above photos she emailed us after sevens days), who after using the Celebrity Smiles whitening kit, did not experience much difference after day 1, but she reached out to us and we helped her create a success plan.
Lori found that over seven days using the 15-minute, Blue LED light worked well to whiten her teeth. Now she will touch-up her beautiful, white teeth, once or twice a week.
If you don’t see much color change after your 1st whitening session, plan to use the Celebrity Smiles LED Blue light 15 minutes each day for the next consecutive seven days. First, use your shade guide enclosed in your whitening kit and map out your progress.
Set "white teeth goals" and mark your calendar to block-out time each day for the next week or two.
Use the calendar on your mobile device to create daily reminders as you set aside the appropriate time to whiten your teeth.
One way to accelerate your tooth whitening process is after a 15-minute session, apply a little more gel and use the LED Blue/Red lights for another 10 minutes. These back-to-back sessions have also been helpful when you don’t notice whiter teeth as quickly as you would like.
You may still not see much difference after a few days. Some people will see a big change after 1 day and some after 7 days. Most people will see a big change after 21 consecutive days of whitening with Celebrity Smiles.
Also, if you have chosen to not use tooth whitening products because you are afraid your teeth will be sensitive, rest -assured, the Celebrity Smiles ingredients include a special type of fluoride called Potassium Nitrate which blocks any tooth sensitivity.
Conclusion
Patience is a virtue when you whiten your teeth for the 1st time.
Know that each one of us has different DNA. We are all unique in our own way so not everyone will have super white teeth after one session of tooth whitening.
Celebrity Smiles was created by dental professionals and we began years ago, only selling our whitening products to dental offices.
We are here to support you in your tooth whitening journey. We are always happy to set up a ZOOM consultation to help you get your whitest, brightest smile.
Best of all, why we offer Celebrity Smiles to all of the world is to SHARE MILLIONS OF SMILES!
We hope you will share your smile with someone who may need a smile today!
P.S. Check out our other happy customer testimonials here.
Blog written by: Debbie Bittke, RDH, BS
Celebrity Smiles Founder and Clinical Dental Hygienist