Teeth Whitening 101: What is the Ideal Shade of White?

The ideal shade of white targeted during teeth whitening treatments is a few shades lighter than the white of the patient’s eyes. Whitening treatments can make teeth whiter than that, but the results typically would not look natural compared to the rest of the patient’s physical features. Teeth whitening treatments aim to get the patient natural-looking results they will be proud to show off during interactions.

Figuring out the ideal shade of white for your teeth

There are many options for patients to choose from when it comes to teeth whitening treatments. Over-the-counter teeth whitening products are often the most accessible option, but it can take months to get significant results with them. To make things worse, lower grade OTC whitening products sometimes contain abrasive ingredients that can damage teeth enamel.

Since there is no dentist to supervise the process, the person is more likely to run into complications – especially if they have existing issues like tooth decay. The person is also more likely to end up with an unnatural shade of white.

Professional teeth whitening treatments are the ideal way to get teeth whitened and they lead to faster results. This is due to dentists having access to significantly stronger bleaching agents than anything sold OTC. This leads to a faster teeth whitening, with the average person ending up with teeth that are eight shades whiter after a single session.

Dentists also provide at-home whitening kits that are not as concentrated as the whiteners used for professional whitening treatments but are still more powerful than products sold OTC.

The shade of a person’s teeth also affects what their ideal shade of white will be. The color of teeth can be broken down into four categories: Reddish-brown, reddish-yellow, reddish-gray, and gray. When performing teeth whitening treatments, dentists determine the shade of the patient’s teeth then offer recommendations on what the ideal shade of white will be to keep results looking natural.

Other important things patients should consider before getting teeth whitening treatments include:

• Unresponsive stains: Stains caused by fluorosis, tetracycline antibiotics, or tooth decay do not respond well to teeth whitening treatments. Such stains will likely still be visible after whitening. Other procedures like composite bonding can be used to eliminate such stains
• Restorations: Whitening treatments do not improve the color of restorations like crowns and veneers. Patients are advised to select a shade of white that blends in with their restoration or replace existing restorations with new ones that match the results of the person’s whitening treatments
• White of the eyes: The shade of the white part of a person’s eyes is the ideal color for their teeth. Dentists typically recommend aiming for something close

Improve the color of your teeth

Teeth whitening treatments are non-invasive and you walk out of the clinic with your teeth noticeably whiter after a single session. Give us a call or visit our Bowie clinic to learn more about how our dentist can improve the color of your teeth.

Request an appointment here: https://www.gatewaydental.org or call Gateway Dental Dr. William Swann DDS at (301) 485-7492 for an appointment in our Bowie office.

Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Teeth Whitening in Bowie, MD.