How To Get Your Teeth Whitened When You've Had Gum Graft Surgery

Recovering from gum disease and getting gum graft surgery to repair your appearance often gets people thinking about their teeth. After all, your now much healthier gums shouldn't be wrapped around discolored or stained teeth. However, if you've recently undergone this surgery, you shouldn't attempt whitening your teeth at home. Even so, that doesn't mean you can't get the look you want. Here's what you should do.

The Problem With At-Home Products

The main reason you should never use at-home products after undergoing any major dental work is because they could hurt you. While these products are designed to be safe, they shouldn't be introduced to any new dental work while you're still healing, including gum grafts.

Placing whitening products over the gums that have been worked on could cause discomfort, pain, swelling, or even cause scar tissue to form over the incision. Stay away from these products until your dental surgeon tells you that it's safe to use them again.

Professional Care

Instead, you should visit a dentist and have your teeth whitened there.

Dentists are professionals and know exactly how to care for teeth without even touching the gums. When you make an appointment, make sure to explain what the procedure you've gone through was, when it was performed, and who performed it. Your dentist may wish to consult with them before they perform your tooth whitening. However, this ensures that your dentist has all the information they need to safely treat your teeth without hurting you.

What to Expect

Most dentists' offices offer different kinds of tooth whitening services. If you're looking for quick results, your dentist may use a whitening solution in combination with a bright light that will be pointed at your teeth. This type of whitening has great results right away, so if you want your teeth whitened for a significant event that's coming up soon, this is the way to go about it.

Your dentist will take care to only apply the whitening solution directly to your teeth, and not the gums. However, they may also first treat your gums by putting a protectant over them to ensure that they aren't exposed to the whitening solution at all.

Tooth whitening can be achieved with professional help, even if you've had your gums worked on recently. You don't have to put up with your teeth being discolored while you wait for your gums to heal, so go visit a dentist to get the perfect smile.