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The desire for and pursuit ofwhiter teethis nothing new.

Model with curly strawberry blonde hair smiling outside

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“If somebody has questions about whitening, they should speak with their dentist.”

“Additionally, the exam would allow us to determine if the patient has exposed roots.

Patients who have exposed roots would experience severe discomfort during whitening.”

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This is typically due to the procedure desiccating the teeth, according to Dr. Lewis.

“We recommend an anti-inflammatory like Advil to counteract this sensitivity.”

Furthermore, the kind of light used may vary.

Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips on white background

Some dentists' offices also offer laser-based teeth whitening.

“It can affect the immediate boost of whiteness that a person will get.”

“People have unrealistic expectations of how white their teeth can get from whitening,” he says.

“Some patients come in and want their teeth to look like white T-shirts.

Thats never going to happen.”

Your whitening won’t last forever

In fact, it probably won’t even last a year.

“Teeth whitening is not a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” says Dr. Shafee.

Dr. Lewis adds that herbal teas are among the biggest culprits when it comes to un-whitening teeth.

More than that, and you risk some negative side effects.

“That drying out of enamel from over-whitening will make teeth sensitive and chalky-looking.”

However, achieving similar results with at-home products is not out of the realm of possibility.