Question Details	Asked By	Asked On
teeth bleaching	Ccl471	12/24/04
I'm interested in whitening my teeth; however, my enamel is already wearing thin. One dentist told me that teeth bleaching will harm my enamel even further, but another dentist told me he's using a system (home kit that takes 3 weeks) that won't harm the enamel. As proof, he says he himself, his wife and children have all used it. What am I supposed to believe?
Answered By		Answered On
agentledentist		12/24/04
Enamel wear can be caused by other reasons than just toothbrush abrasion e.g. chewing of hard food or other parafunctional habits. If the wear is at the neck of the teeth (near the gum line), the most common cause is toothbrush abrasion or nighttime clenching and grinding (erosion). The latter is done while you are asleep and there is no way you can stop it yourself. The only remedy at present is to wear a make to measure appliance e.g. an MCI (Myohealth Clenching Inhibitor) to minimize the detrimental effect of clenching and/of grinding. As for whitening, as long as you had it done under professional guidance, it does not wear out the enamel. However, whitening can cause sensitivity and if there is cervical sensitivity due to toothbrush abrasion or erosion, the sensitivity has to be treated first.

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