Tooth whitening has been all the rage for several years now and it’s not exactly a mystery to figure out why. Because, honestly, wanting your pearly whites to be as—errr—pearly white as possible makes absolute sense.
As you probably are already well-aware, there are many methods and products available that promise whiter teeth. Some are “all-natural” DIY tricks. Some are commercial bleaching products that you can pick up at the drug store. Truth be told, it’s rather easy to be a bit overwhelmed by all of the tooth whitening options out there.
But prior to embarking on any tooth-whitening mission, you should make sure that you do following two things.
1. Reevaluate your current dental care habits.
No matter how enchanted you are with the idea of having drastically whiter teeth, you have to be realistic.
If you aren’t already practicing good oral health habits*—like, you know, brushing for at least two minutes following a thorough, but gentle, flossing session every morning and evening—opting for tooth whitening is borderline foolhardy, since it is really just white-washing (har har) certain dental health issues.
Plus, if you revert back to a less-than-great oral health care habits (some of which we covered in 3 Terrible Dental Habits To Avoid At All Costs), your new, whiter smile won’t stay white for very long.
*Since we are on the topic of sparkling, stain-less smiles, you might also want to check out 3 Simple Ways To Avoid Tooth Stains.
2. Chat with your dentist.
After you have reevaluated your oral health habits, you will want to reach out to your dentist!
Not only will talking to your dentist about your whiter-teeth-wishes ensure that both you and them are on the same page, it will also allow them to offer up some professional insight about the safest ways that you can go about making this happen.
For example, the wonderful Dr. Vista has been recommending that patients opt for a take-home whitening system (which includes a prescription strength carbamide peroxide and custom trays) instead of over-the-counter whitening strips or in-office laser Zoom whitening because the results are similar, the take-home system causes less sensitivity and it is less expensive.
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The Vista Dental Care Blog 
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