3 Whitening Options To Consider While Under Orthodontic Care

Even though orthodontic care is most common in children and adolescents, many adults are opting for braces and aligners to realign crooked teeth and issues with their bite. As a matter of fact, one in five orthodontic patients are over the age of 18.  Wearing orthodontic braces or aligners will improve the look and shape of your smile over time, but these orthodontic treatments can reduce your ability to clean your teeth thoroughly, leading to discoloration and dark stains. Thankfully, whitening your teeth while wearing braces and aligners is possible. Here are a few whitening treatments to consider while under orthodontic care.

Specialty Toothpastes

All toothpastes contain ingredients that remove plaque and tartar, but whitening toothpastes offer advanced cleaning and whitening agents that clean and whiten the teeth.

Using ingredients that clean, polish, and whiten the surface enamel of your teeth, these whitening toothpastes freshen and whiten your smile without harsh chemicals that alter the actual tooth color.

In addition, the gentle nature of these toothpastes will not affect the metal used on traditional braces.

At-Home Bleaching

If you prefer a more involved whitening for your teeth, ask your cosmetic dentist about at-home bleaching trays that are custom-fitted to your mouth. Your dentist will use a mold to fabricate your mouth while wearing the orthodontic brackets.

A specialized bleaching gel that contains peroxide to whiten and other cleaning agents is applied to the tray, which looks similar to a mouth guard. After applying the gel to the tray, place it into your mouth to wear for a few hours.

Professional Whitening

Whitening toothpastes and at-home bleaching trays offer a convenient option for patients who want to remove stains in a more convenient manner. However, professional whitening treatments offer the most effective and efficient solution for whitening and brightening your smile.

During this treatment, your dentist will apply a specialized bleaching gel to the surface of your teeth. A light is directed onto the teeth, activating the bleaching chemicals. After a few minutes, you will notice a whiter and brighter smile.

It is important to note that you may see a difference in color when your braces or brackets are removed. The area around the braces will appear whiter, since the professional whitening treatments are not capable of cleaning under the orthodontic braces and brackets.

After removing your orthodontic pieces, schedule an additional whitening treatment to ensure your entire smile is clean, white, and bright.

Orthodontic treatments will realign crooked, misaligned smiles, but they can affect the color of your teeth. With these treatments, you can whiten your teeth even while wearing braces.