Sometimes, a dentist will inform you that your teeth are decayed or your gums are diseased and need immediate treatment. The purpose of this treatment is to restore your teeth and gums, which is necessary before moving onto cosmetic work such as teeth whitening.
Basic dental problems like tooth decay are priority instead of purely cosmetic treatment such as teeth whitening. Even if you only have a small decayed area, it can make whitening painful and create unnecessary sensitivity. Even for a patient with healthy, intact teeth, a whitening treatment can create sensitivity.
Once a patient has restored their tooth decay by whichever method the dentist recommends, such as fillings, root canal, extraction/implant or something else, then the patient should get a professional teeth cleaning. Once the mouth is healthy and gum disease is under control, then whitening options can be explored. Remember, though, that any porcelain or metal crowns will not whiten with any treatments except replacing the crown with a different shade-crown. This is especially noticeable for front teeth. What’s more, the natural teeth will eventually change shades once the whitening treatment wears off, so this color discrepancy will be permanent.