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Teeth whitening in Norwalk is an excellent way to improve your confidence and appearance. But even if you choose professional teeth whitening from Riverwalk Dental Care, your teeth may feel sensitive and uncomfortable after your treatment. What should you do if your teeth are sensitive after teeth whitening? Here are a few tips from our team.
Whether you choose in-office teeth whitening or a professional take-home whitening kit from Riverwalk Dental Care, you should let Dr. David Nill know if your teeth are naturally sensitive before your procedure begins.
If you have sensitive teeth, Dr. Nill may choose to whiten your teeth across a few appointments at our office, or may make changes to your take-home treatment plan to help mitigate sensitivity.
Sensitive teeth can also indicate underlying oral health problems, in some cases, so if you report that your teeth are sensitive, Dr. Nill may need to perform an oral exam to make sure your mouth is healthy before treatment begins.
After in-office whitening or during your at-home whitening treatment, you should consider avoiding extremely hot and cold foods and drinks. Heat and cold tend to be the top culprits when it comes to making tooth sensitivity worse.
By avoiding ice-cold foods and drinks like ice cream and cold water, or really hot foods and drinks like boiling-hot coffee, you can mitigate tooth sensitivity and feel more comfortable as you recover from your whitening procedure.
Consistent teeth brushing is essential for relieving whitening-induced sensitivity. It’s thought that sensitivity occurs after whitening because the teeth weaken slightly, and brushing with fluoride toothpaste helps strengthen them and relieves sensitivity.
You may also want to consider switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne during at-home whitening or after your in-office appointment at our office. These anti-sensitivity toothpastes contain compounds that help reduce the severity of sensitivity, and are handy for providing relief from whitening-induced tooth sensitivity.
NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and naproxen can help with tooth sensitivity after whitening, so feel free to take these drugs as directed by the label to help with sensitivity.
You can also use topical pain relievers like Orajel to help with sensitivity, but this is usually only necessary in patients who have especially sensitive teeth. Most patients will be just fine with over-the-counter pain relievers.
Dr. David Nill and the team at Riverwalk Dental Care are always here to help you improve your smile. If you’re interested in take-home or in-office whitening in Norwalk, we’re here to help. To learn more, see if you’re a good candidate, and take the next steps toward a brighter smile, just contact us online or give us a call at (203) 286 8668.
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