Is Tooth Whitening Making You Feel Sensitive? What You Need to Know

Getting ready for the holidays is all about looking and feeling your best. As one of the best ways to make sure that you stick out in your family pictures and that you have good enough photos to post to Instagram is to get a brighter, whiter smile. However, with both in-office and over-the-counter whitening, sometimes patients experience sensitive, sore teeth. Here are a few things to know about tooth sensitivity.

It’s Not Permanent

The good news about tooth sensitivity caused by teeth whitening is that it’s not permanent. In fact, it should go away as soon as you stop using the whitening products. However, if you suffered from tooth sensitivity before you ever started whitening them, then it may be caused by something else altogether— but we should be able to treat it.

You Can Take a Break

If your tooth sensitivity is making things like eating a yummy bowl of holiday peppermint ice cream or drinking a cup of hot chocolate too painful to enjoy, consider taking a break from whitening. Sometimes by taking just a week or two off of whitening, you can find fast relief and then start it back up again.

Toothpaste May Help

If you just don’t want to take a break from tooth whitening or if you feel like the tooth sensitivity you are experiencing isn’t bad enough, then you may want to consider using toothpaste for sensitive teeth (like Sensodyne) in conjunction with your whitening.

Most sensitivity caused by tooth whitening is both preventable and treatable. If you are experiencing sensitivity after using either over-the-counter whitening strips or after coming in to get professional whitening, contact our office today.

Schedule a Consultation

To learn more about dental whitening or to schedule a whitening consultation, call our Albuquerque office today at (505) 881-1159!