Dental technology has made modern day dental care more comfortable than when I was growing up. However, most procedures still fall under the category of same-day surgery. That’s right! When we drill on your tooth, or do some form of tissue surgery, it is surgery. Which means you should normally experience some discomfort after most dental procedures.
It’s not unusual for a patient to experience bite, hot, and cold sensitivity after tooth colored fillings for up to eight weeks, and sometimes longer. Every tooth will vary with sensitivity. Meaning, you can have five fillings done on the same day and each tooth will respond differently. You may have sensitivity in one, two, or all five teeth, or none at all.
The same applies with all dental procedures. Every tooth is its own organ, and will behave differently. Some teeth will heal faster than others. Some decay goes deeper in the tooth, and requires more time to heal.
If you experience tooth discomfort that gets progressively worse, then the tooth will probably be in need of additional treatment such as root canal therapy or possibly extraction if the tooth has an unseen fracture. Bottom line, it’s the human body, and sometimes things that need to be fixed can go in reverse. However, the large majority of all dental procedures fixes unwanted problems and does so with little or no discomfort.
Sensitivity to bite usually means a minor bite adjustment. Sensitivity to cold generally goes away with time, but is helped with products such as desensitizing toothpastes. But remember, if sensitivity becomes worse over time, or is consistent for over two months, you should probably be seen in our office.
Tooth Sensitivity after Dental Work
TOOTH WHITENING
We’ve seen another jump in whitening technology this past year. Tooth whitening gels for custom trays are now in concentrations of 10%, 15%, 20%, and 35%. Although higher concentrations can sometimes increase tooth sensitivity short term, manufacturers have now added fluoride to help reduce any discomfort. The important thing for patients to know is higher concentration strengths does not mean better tooth whitening outcomes.
If you need quick results for a party or function, meaning you need your smile to “shine” in a hurry, the higher concentrations are the way to go. You may even want to consider in-office whitening which shows immediate results. With this modality of tooth whitening, you will get the best results in the shortest amount of time. However, your overall whitening will tend to fade sooner than if you maintain the whitening with lower concentrations.
Recent research has shown if you use 10% to 15% solutions, and wear them in your trays overnight, your teeth will maintain their brilliance for 3 to 4 months longer. Does this mean the higher concentrations are of no value? Of course not.
Lets say you want to achieve three to four complete shades brighter in value immediately. In-office whitening would be the better decision as it will obtain the best result in most patients. Or, you dislike wearing the tray overnight. Then you could purchase the higher concentrations and wear the trays for one hour or less with great results. Technology has brought forth choice in the way patients choose to brighten their smiles.
One important thing to know is “laser” whitening dehydrates the teeth. The increase in value will quickly return to your natural color, and that is why we do not use that technology in our office. We use a product from Ultradent called “Boost” for our in-office procedures, and the results are much better than tooth dehydration with a laser type system. Not to mention healthier.
At your next appointment, ask our dental team which whitening treatment best fits your schedule and needs. Nothing says more about you than your smile.
Welcome to Our Blog!
Welcome to our new Thorup Dental Blog!
I’m so excited to share news, product information, upcoming practice events and much much more with you! At Thorup Dental, we provide
Complete Dental Care With A Gentle Touch
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