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How At-Home Whitening Treatments Burn Gums

Teeth Whitening,

If you have visited your local convenience store lately, you have likely noticed a wide range of at-home whitening kits available to purchase over the counter. From whitening strips to at-home chemical formulas, plenty of companies are selling products that anyone can use in the comfort of their own bathrooms. Below, we look at how at-home whitening treatments burn gums.

How At-Home Whitening Treatments Burn Gums

While tooth whitening products are designed to lift extrinsic stains from the surface of your teeth and restore a bright, white appearance to your mouth, improper use of them can cause some harmful side effects. Your gums are made up of sensitive tissue, which is prone to burning after being touched by certain chemicals. Today, your trusted DTLA dentist will explain how at-home whitening treatments burn gums much more often than professional, in-office teeth whitening procedures.

What Are At-Home Treatments Made Of?

There are a vast number of teeth whitening products made by different brands for over-the-counter use. From Crest to SNOW, companies continue to innovate cosmetic dental care by putting the convenience of professional treatments in a take-home package. There can be a lot of benefits to using teeth whitening strips regularly, as this shows that you greatly care about your oral health. However, there are also a few risk factors that every consumer should be aware of.

Many tooth whitening treatments contain hydrogen peroxide as the main ingredient. While this chemical is good for treating wounds and wiping out infections, it can also burn. When hydrogen peroxide touches the gums, they can become overly sensitive or even painful for an extended period of time. While minor reactions can go away fast, more severe burns will leave white spots and painful marks on the gums.

How to Avoid Getting Burned By Teeth Whitening

Since hydrogen peroxide and other common bleaching agents cause burning gums, it is best to use caution when selecting your next set of dental hygiene products. While any dentist-approved product is safe to use for a short period of time, you may not be able to predict when side effects may occur. This is why our Samaritan Dental Arts experts recommend that you make an appointment with your dentist before you buy anything so you can discuss the best course of action.
There are other ways you can protect your teeth and gums from becoming too sensitive:

  • Follow the instructions provided with your teeth whitening products as this can help you prevent undue pain or discomfort.
  • Ask your dentist about in-office whitening treatments or a customized whitening tray that can be made to fit your unique set of teeth.
  • Limit the number of acids you put in your body through foods like tomatoes, citrus, and soda.
  • Do not whiten your teeth every day, even if you have enough products to do so at home; extended use can severely weaken your teeth by eroding the protective enamel layers that surround them.
  • Make sure that the tooth whitening product does not get on the gums, and wipe it off as soon as you notice it.

If the damage has already been done, do not worry – there are still plenty of ways to calm your symptoms while you reach out to your dentist for professional help. You can rinse your mouth with salt water, which will remove leftover bleaching products from your gums. If your pain or irritation persists after a couple of days, you should get in touch with your dentist right away.

Get Professional In-Office Teeth Whitening for Best Results

The safest, most effective, and most comfortable way to apply long-lasting whitening to your teeth is through your dentist. Our in-office teeth whitening treatments use products and techniques that are not sold in the store as regular, over-the-counter items. If you want to give your teeth the best of the best, visit us to learn how our pain-free whitening services can keep your smile bright for a long time to come.

Woman smiling without side effects of teeth whitening

Common Minor Side Effects of Teeth Whitening

Cosmetic Dentistry, , ,

Teeth whitening is the most common and popular cosmetic dentistry treatment in the world, and it has many major benefits. If you are dealing with yellowing teeth or dark spots in unsightly places, you could benefit from this affordable and pain-free procedure. Now, let’s look at some minor side effects of teeth whitening.

Common Minor Side Effects of Teeth Whitening

People who visit their local dentist in Downtown Los Angeles often ask about the after-effects of the teeth whitening procedure. Are there any dangers to be aware of? Is it always safe for adults looking to whiten their teeth? Below, we will review the common minor side effects of teeth whitening you may experience alongside all of the benefits.

Increased Tooth Sensitivity

For a short amount of time, you might be sensitive to hot and cold temperatures. Be careful while eating and drinking things that might be frozen or piping hot. There are specific kinds of toothpaste you can buy that will help lower your sensitivity to extreme temperatures. Still, you can expect this sensation to naturally fade away after a few days following your tooth whitening procedure.

Gum or Skin Irritation

If the bleaching agent used to whiten your teeth comes into accidental contact with your gums or your skin, you may experience a little bit of irritation. If you feel irritation or burning anywhere, you should notify your dentist immediately. It can be treated by flushing the area out with water. Any feelings of irritation should subside pretty quickly.

Discomfort – But Not Pain

If you are someone who already experiences natural tooth sensitivity, you might be in a little bit of discomfort after your tooth-whitening procedure. It is important to note that most patients do not report experiencing any pain, but there may be some discomfort as the teeth become more sensitive than usual for a short amount of time. If you have trouble eating, drinking, or even breathing while dealing with discomfort in the mouth, get in touch with your local dentist right away.

Tooth Tingling

Another interesting sensation you might want to expect is tooth tingling. Patients have said that their teeth and gums feel like they are tingling. But not in a way that is uncomfortable or painful. This is sometimes a side effect of the bleach used in the whitening agent, but it should not last very long. You can discuss these concerns with your dentist during your follow-up appointment if you are still experiencing tingling days after your tooth whitening procedure.

Throat or Stomach Pain

If you accidentally swallow some of the bleaching agents, you may experience burning or painful sensations in the throat and stomach. This usually does not occur, as the agent does not typically touch your tongue or get into your mouth. The agent is applied directly to your teeth and dried with a UV light, making no contact with any other part of your body. In the event the bleaching agent does get somewhere else, you should wash the area with water right away. If swallowed, contact the doctor immediately.

Get the Best Tooth Whitening Results at Samaritan Dental Arts Today!

You deserve to enjoy a smile filled with bright, dazzling teeth. If you want your teeth whitened the right way, visit us at Samaritan Dental Arts! We provide a wide range of high-end services and products to help you achieve perfect teeth whitening in Downtown Los Angeles. Worried about some of the minor side effects of teeth whitening? You can schedule a personal consultation with one of our dental experts right away. We look forward to helping you improve the health and look of your smile!

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How Teeth Affect Your Confidence

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It’s no secret that a lack of oral hygiene can lead to some pretty drastic health issues. But did you know that having bad teeth can also put a damper on your self-esteem? Let’s take a look at how teeth affect your confidence.

Almost 33% of all American adults feel unhappy with their smiles and feel self-conscious when taking photographs. With visual looks being such a huge part of social life, it’s important for you to have a smile that you can feel proud of.

How Teeth Affect Your Confidence

Visit your local dentist downtown Los Angeles if you are concerned about whether your dental health affects your confidence. Keep reading to learn how you can keep your mental well-being and your oral health in good spirits!

Self-Conscious Habits

To find out whether your confidence is being affected by the state of your teeth, you might ask yourself what kind of habits you display when you’re about to have your picture taken, or when laughing with a group of coworkers.

One of the biggest tell-tale signs that someone is dealing with confidence issues due to their teeth is covering the mouth. If you cover your mouth with your hands, you might be suffering from some issues with self-esteem.

  • You may cover your mouth because.
  • Or you don’t want to be seen smiling in a photograph.
  • Or you are embarrassed while talking in a group of people, and you don’t want them to see your teeth.

You have tooth pain and you are trying to protect your mouth from exposure.

People cover their mouths for several reasons. If you don’t think your mouth looks as perfect as it should, you may feel compelled to keep it hidden. You could be dealing with something as simple and harmless as a misalignment, or you might have rot and tooth decay, which is causing discoloration.

Bad Oral Health? Or Just Cosmetic Issues?

A recent study in the UK showed that while many adults try to avoid showing their teeth when they smile, 22% of them completely avoid having their picture taken altogether. But what really causes people to cover their mouths?

In some cases, people feel self-conscious because their bite isn’t cosmetically perfect. This is a valid reason for feeling uncomfortable showing your teeth in photos or with friends. In other cases, however, it could be because the person is dealing with tooth decay.

Some of the most prominent symptoms of unchecked tooth decay include yellowing, tooth discoloration, and infection, which leads to swelling. All of these symptoms have drastic effects on your oral health, including your cosmetic appearance. It is understandable why it is hard to crack a smile when you don’t want to reveal the oral problems underneath.

Many people who lack confidence about their smile avoid going to the dentist out of fear or embarrassment. Make sure that you stay in touch with your local dental professional so you can prevent things from going from bad to worse!

Don’t Avoid the Dentist!

The worst thing you can do is keep your dental problems hidden from your dentist. Whether you are embarrassed about a crooked smile or yellowed teeth, it is important that you let your dental professional know about it. These cosmetic issues might hint at underlying oral health problems that can have some serious health effects down the line.

Remember that prevention is better than treatment. Restore a beautiful pearly-white smile with our cosmetic dentist Los Angeles and feel confident in your natural beauty again. You deserve to smile big and wide, no matter the state of your teeth! Visit our experts today and set your teeth on the track to better health!

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How to Care for Veneers

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Dental veneers are by far the most popular and most pain-free cosmetic dentistry procedure in today’s society, and for good reason. These thin covers can not only protect your front teeth against outside damage and harm, but they can also reform the aesthetics of your mouth to give you a perfect, straight, pearly white smile. Knowing how to care for veneers is important to maximize their benefit.

At Samaritan Dental Arts, we want patients to stop feeling like they have to constantly cover their mouths when they speak or smile. As a top dentist in Downtown Los Angeles, we provide the best of service. Our porcelain veneers can be applied easily through an affordable procedure.

But once your veneers are installed, you need to take care of them properly so they can last you a lifetime. They should be cared for and maintained just like your regular teeth. Below, you’ll find a few of the best tips for taking care of your new porcelain veneers. This is one of the best ways to enjoy a perfect smile!

Get the Right Toothbrush

A soft toothbrush is best for your porcelain veneers. If the bristles on your toothbrush are too hard, you can risk damaging the veneer and even ruining the enamel on your natural tooth. Veneers have a fine polish on them that makes them shiny and perfect, so scrubbing too hard will wear this polish down.

Don’t Chew Hard Things

Your porcelain veneers are set up to last you for a very long time; however, that does not mean they are invincible. Unfortunately, your veneers are susceptible to getting chipped or damaged if you frequently chew on hard things. Objects that shouldn’t typically go in your mouth, such as plastic lids, fingernails, and pencils, are definitely off-limits.

Stop Grinding Your Teeth

Do you have a case of bruxism? This is the scientific word for grinding or clenching your teeth often. If you do, you can put your veneers and your natural teeth at risk. According to Colgate, grinding your teeth can have a severe impact on your health. If this is a habit you just can’t nip in the bud, then you are putting yourself at risk for your veneers and your entire body.

Speak with a dental professional about bruxism and possible treatment solutions to help you stop grinding your teeth. A Nightguard may be a good option for you to prevent your teeth from wearing down on each other while you sleep.

Don’t Eat Foods That Stain

Some food and drink substances tend to stain your teeth. For example, dark chocolate, soda, coffee, and tobacco are some of the biggest culprits. They can cause your teeth to become dark and discolored. Unfortunately, veneers are not immune to the discoloration process, and they are just as easily stained as your natural teeth are.

To avoid yellowing or darkening the edges of your new porcelain veneers, stay away from food substances that are dark or sugary.

Take Regular Care of Your Teeth!

Without proper dental hygiene, you put yourself and your mouth at risk of developing a myriad of health issues. Not to mention, your teeth just look better when they are well taken care of. Your veneers are an investment, and to get your money’s worth. You want them to last a long time. Don’t stop brushing and flossing every day for the better health of your teeth. Veneers require regular cleaning just like your teeth do. And trust us when we say your smile will thank you for it!

Take Care of Your Oral Health Today

Porcelain veneers are affordable and beautiful solutions to correcting a misaligned or discolored smile. If your front teeth need a little sprucing up, you may benefit greatly from our porcelain veneers. At Samaritan Dental Arts, we take pride in our ability to provide patients with healthy, happy smiles. Schedule your consultation with us today and see what cosmetic dentistry options are available to you!

The Power of Your Smile

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The Power of Your Smile

There’s a reason cosmetic dentistry is the most popular form of dentistry in the world. It’s not just to make you look good – it’s to make you feel good too! In fact, a confident smile is one of the most powerful acts you can have.

 

It’s amazing how much a smile can make an impact on a person, a group of people, and, most importantly, yourself. At Samaritan Dental Arts, we delve deep into a research project that shows just how important confident smiles really are.

 

The great medical, psychological, neurological, and social benefits of smiles are seemingly endless! Here’s just a few things that prove the power of your smile.

Smiles Predict Your Health

It’s true; the more you smile, the healthier and happier you may be. Researchers at UC Berkeley spent 30 years trying to predict the outcome of certain students’ lives based on their smiles (or lack of smiles). It turned out that the students with the brightest and most confident smiles had the longest-lasting marriages, the best scores on standardized tests, and the highest level of general happiness.

 

Next time you look in the mirror, smile wide – you could be predicting your own future happiness!

Smiles Can Determine Your Lifespan

Further studies have concluded that the lifespan of a person can be predicted by how widely they smile. Those who smile less don’t tend to live as long as those with great, bubbly smiles.

 

According to Wayne State University, those who don’t smile tend to live an average of 79 years, while those with great smiles can outlive them by an average of 6 years or more!

 

For a closer look at cosmetic dentistry in Los Angeles, contact Samaritan Dental Arts today.

Smiling is In Our Nature

Did you know that humans are born smiling? It may not seem that way to the face of a crying baby, but we are a species that loves to smile. New technologies have even been able to show that babies can smile while still in the womb, too!

 

Ever notice how easily a baby can smile when they hear the sound of their mother’s voice? Or how easily things can make them laugh? This is because they know they are meant to smile. Humans are born with superpowers; we have the ability to strongly impact a social situation from the strength of our smiles.

 

Not to mention that smiling is one of the and most primal and basic types of human expression that has been around since the dawn of man. All humans across all cultures, societies, and environments all use the biological smile. It’s been around for centuries, and it has been a universal form of communication for thousands of years.

We Smile Quite Often!

About 30% of all humans smile over 20 times a day, whether in response to a great joke or a pleasant morning. And often, our smiles can impact others’ smiles, too. Only 14% of the human population smiles less than 5 times a day, marking it as quite the rarity.

 

The most frequent smilers? Children! Babies and toddlers will smile over 400 times per day! They love flexing their superpowers, and they smile quite often as they learn how to control and influence their facial expressions.

Smiling is Always Rewarding

Our brain interprets the smile as something that always brings us a reward later on. It is similar to the experiments on classical conditioning, but it happens naturally within the brain.

 

Think about how good it feels when you eat a piece of chocolate. The chocolate stimulates the brain and gives you a sense of pleasure for a short while. Now imagine this: A single smile provides the brain with up to 2,000 times the amount of pleasure and satisfaction as a piece of chocolate. Not to mention the mental and physical health benefits are multiplied as well.

Improve Your Smile with Cosmetic Dentistry in Los Angeles!

Having a big and confident smile can have serious positive effects on your overall health and well-being. Having misshapen, discolored, or misaligned teeth can definitely strike down your self-esteem and keep you from smiling as much as you might want to. At Samaritan Dental Arts, we can provide high-quality cosmetic dentistry in Los Angeles to improve your smile in a painless and affordable way. For more information, contact us online. Or, give us a call at (213) 986-2933 to schedule an appointment. Our friendly staff members are here to help!

Rapidly Remove Years of Stains with Teeth Whitening

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One of the most popular cosmetic dental procedures in cosmetic dentistry Los Angeles is  teeth whitening. Plenty of cosmetic dental patients may show pay extra special attention to their smile, but they still find their smile to be covered in yellow. Many Los Angeles patients fail to remember that a dazzling smile requires proper oral hygiene as well as regular in-office visits and when it comes to stained teeth, the best solution is in-office teeth whitening treatment. Even if you are one of the 78 percent of Americans who have had at least one dental cavity by age 17, you are likely longing for a brighter and whiter smile.

Teeth whitening can change your overall image like nothing else imaginable. Teeth whitening procedures from a cosmetic dentist are the safest form of tooth bleaching that provides the fastest results compared to over-the-counter products. Los Angeles teeth whitening is a powerful solution that removes organic stains and discolorations caused by natural aging, consumption of certain foods and tobacco use. Ideal teeth whitening candidates are patients who have healthy teeth and show a deep interest in having a brighter smile.

Which Foods Discolor Teeth?

There are three common factors that contribute to food related tooth discoloration – chromogens, acidity, and tannins. Chromgens are intensely pigmented molecules contained in food and beverages that latch on tooth enamel. Highly acidic food and beverages are capable of eroding and staining teeth by facilitating the latching of chromogens. Tannins are a group of phenol compounds found in plants that we mix in with certain foods, which are known to enhance the ability of chromogens. Generally speaking, the more intense the color of a food or beverage item, is the higher the risk that it stains teeth. The top foods and beverages that cause tooth stains include:

  • Wine

  • Tea and coffee

  • Dark soda

  • Berries

  • Sweets and hard candy

In-office Teeth Whitening Most Effective

Having a brighter smile does come with a price, but having treatment from a CDA cosmetic dentist is your safest option. There are several over-the-counter products that your dentist can suggest, but they do not stand in comparison to in-office teeth whitening. As per the  California Dental Association, consulting with the guidance of a cosmetic dentist about the best available teeth whitening procedure serves as the safe and effective treatment that do not damage your teeth or gums. In-office teeth whitening products are regulated by an experienced dentist who dazzles your smile several shades brighter than you could ever achieve.

Make sure to contact Dr. Zabolian about your best options for teeth whitening and whether or not your teeth and gums are healthy enough a cosmetic dental procedure that removes the toughest teeth stains.