Can I Whiten My Teeth if I have Dental Fillings?
Can I whiten my teeth if I have dental fillings?
While teeth whitening products can not whiten individual dental restorations like veneers, crowns, or fillings, whitening treatment can be performed if you have dental fillings on your natural teeth. For many patients, fillings may only be on teeth and areas that are not easily seen, so whitening your natural teeth can proceed without complication.
However, for those with visible restorations, we can provide a cosmetic dentistry consultation to provide the best set of options to achieve a brighter smile. This may often be teeth whitening before dental treatment to fix cavities, chipped teeth, or replacements of old fillings – to have your restorations match your whiter teeth. Additionally, some patients with veneers, crowns, or other dental work may be looking to whiten their natural teeth, which had started to darken with time, to match the restorations for an evenly white smile.
How long after whitening my teeth should I wait to have fillings, bonding, veneers, or crowns done?
Our general recommendation is to wait about two weeks from your last whitening session before doing any dental work, which will require visible color shade matching. Initial whitening sessions may make your teeth appear whiter and less even than when the whitening has dispersed throughout the tooth. Additionally, if you have any habits that may slightly diminish your whitening, the two weeks provide enough time for the tooth shade to be a realistic, everyday match to your smile. If dental restorations like fillings or veneers are made with a color that is too bright, it may lead to a tooth visible brighter and distracting from the rest of your natural smile.
If I have metal (amalgam) fillings, can I change them all to white?
It can be tempting to consider changing your older metal fillings with white with cosmetic dentistry – especially if your dental insurance covers a portion of the cost. This is a popular question and can be an elective procedure for the patient. However, our dentist typically only recommends replacing amalgam fillings if the older restoration is either failing / loose due to wear or if a cavity has started to form, which would require a replacement anyway. The reasoning is that replacing an otherwise issue-free metal filling would require shaving and preparing at least some (even minimal) natural tooth structure and further disturb the tooth. Particularly for 'deep' fillings, the risk may not be worth the replacement.
Ultimately, we strive for every patient to be able to make their own well-informed decisions. So, suppose you have any questions about your specific amalgam fillings and potentially replacing them – as your local dentist. In that case, we are always happy to discuss and explain your unique considerations and potential risks.
Is it safe to whiten my teeth if I have dental fillings?
All our teeth whitening consultations require the patient to have a comprehensive dental exam with Dr. Lina Yu. This can be on the same day as the whitening service, but this standard dental checkup allows our Winter Park dentist to focus on several things, including:
If any outstanding or urgent dental care makes it unsafe or uncomfortable
If whitening contrasts too much with previous dental work (dental fillings, veneers, crowns, etc..) and results in undesirable aesthetics
The type of teeth whitening product or approach to managing sensitivity
If the nature of the tooth requires internal whitening instead of traditional topical whitening
Identifying the source cause of any other discoloration or staining
For a typical patient with no outstanding dental work, our teeth whitening products and services are very safe for patient use. However, concerns typically arise for patients with gum disease, exposed roots, cavities, or broken teeth. Our whitening products are gluten-free, vegan, animal by-product-free, and kosher-certified.
If you are interested in our teeth whitening services in Winter Park, please give us a call or book an appointment!