Question:
Anyways, since the second night of the treatment, I noticed a difference and
by week 4, the results were amazing! However....since stopping the
treatments last Tuesday, I notice my teeth are starting to look blotchy and
no where near as white as they were the week before. Is this common? I guess
I'm just looking for suggestions.
Answer:
Your eyes might be playing tricks on you. You are so used to seeing
your teeth right after you removed the trays that you lost your
reference point.
Best way to do this is document your before shade with a shade guide
and a photo. Generally if you stop bleaching the porosity in your teeth
will begin to accumulate stain so your teeth are not going to look as
white as when you removed the trays. Also trays cause some dehydration
of your teeth which gives them a whiter appearance. However and
regardless of this I'll bet your teeth are significantly whiter than
when you started.
I do have photos of my teeth before I started the
whitening and yes, they are whiter by two shades. That being said, there
still are few teeth that look 'blotchy or mottled. I see my dental god on
Tuesday next week.....I'm sure he'll have input as well.
These are not realistic results for the average patient walking in the
door. When a patient 'only' gets 1-2 shades lighter and teeth are not
totally even in color when viewed in bright light from 12 inches,
disappointment fills the room.
When all bleaching systems have the same results at 6-12 months and all
bleaching systems need touch up bleaching at that time, I'm not going to
try and rip them off with unrealistic promises. I lay it all
out in front of the patient so they can make an informed decision.
To be honest, I wasn't expecting the ''toilet-bowl white'' results Steve, I
just wanted a whiter smile. I also realize not every one is a candidate for
the bleaching systems....yes, some folks get better results than others.
Same with laser eye surgery and face lifts.
No, my teeth weren't that stained to begin with and I'm pretty happy with
the results as they are whiter! My concern is the blotchy appearance that
some of my teeth have as the blotchy-ness is a little more noticeable now
that the rest of my teeth are whiter. (these are bottom teeth by the way.)
For the record, I don't feel my dentist tried to ''rip me off'' with
''unrealistic promises''. As a matter of fact, he suggested I try this
method of whitening as a low cost, less invasive option to getting the
veneers....perfect for me!! :-)
