Professional Teeth Whitening Candidacy
in Pembroke, ON

Meet Your Teeth Whitening Team at Parkview Dental

Dr. James Munro has been helping Renfrew County patients achieve beautiful, confident smiles since opening Parkview Dental’s doors in 1976. His patient-first approach means you’ll never receive a one-size-fits-all treatment recommendation. Instead, Dr. Munro takes time to understand your dental history, lifestyle habits, and aesthetic goals before suggesting any cosmetic procedure.

Our Pembroke dental practice combines decades of experience with modern technology like our iTero intraoral scanner, which helps us evaluate your teeth and plan treatments with precision. We believe every patient deserves honest guidance about what whitening can and cannot achieve for their specific tooth color and dental condition.

Whether you’re an ideal candidate for professional whitening or need alternative cosmetic solutions, our team provides the information and support you need to make confident decisions about your smile.

Who Is an Ideal Candidate for Professional Teeth Whitening?

You Have Good Overall Oral Health

Professional whitening works best when your teeth and gums are healthy. If you have untreated cavities, gum disease, or exposed tooth roots, the whitening agents can cause significant sensitivity and pain. Dr. Munro examines your mouth thoroughly before recommending treatment to ensure there are no underlying issues that could complicate the whitening process or cause discomfort.

Your Teeth Are Naturally Yellow or Stained

Yellow-toned stains from coffee, tea, red wine, or tobacco respond exceptionally well to professional whitening. Surface discoloration and age-related yellowing are ideal candidates for bleaching treatments. If your teeth have darkened over time despite good oral hygiene, professional whitening can typically restore a brighter, more youthful appearance.

You’re 18 Years or Older

Professional teeth whitening is generally recommended for adults whose tooth enamel has fully developed. Children and teenagers have enamel that’s still maturing and can be more sensitive to bleaching agents. Additionally, whitening isn’t suitable for baby teeth, which will eventually be replaced by permanent teeth anyway.

You Don’t Have Extensive Dental Restorations

If most of your visible teeth are natural, you’re likely a good candidate for whitening. However, patients with multiple crowns, veneers, or dental bridgesin their smile zone may not see uniform results since whitening agents don’t change the color of dental restorations. Dr. Munro discusses how existing dental work affects your treatment options during your consultation.

You Have Realistic Expectations

The best candidates understand what whitening can and cannot achieve. Professional treatment can lighten teeth by several shades, but it won’t create a blindingly white Hollywood smile if your natural tooth color is darker. Dr. Munro shows you what results are possible for your specific situation so you can make an informed decision.

You’re Committed to Maintenance

Professional whitening delivers excellent results, but those results require some maintenance to last. Ideal candidates are willing to adjust their habits, avoid highly staining foods and beverages when possible, maintain good oral hygiene, and schedule periodic touch-up treatments as needed.

You’re Not Pregnant or Nursing

While no research has shown professional whitening to be harmful during pregnancy, most dentists recommend postponing elective cosmetic procedures until after you’ve given birth and finished breastfeeding. This precautionary approach protects both you and your baby from any potential unknown risks.

You Don’t Have Severe Tooth Sensitivity

If you experience mild sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures, Dr. Munro can often manage this with desensitizing treatments before and after whitening. However, patients with severe sensitivity may find professional whitening too uncomfortable, even with preventive measures in place.

Your Discoloration Is Extrinsic, Not Intrinsic

External stains on the tooth surface respond beautifully to whitening. However, intrinsic discoloration from certain medications like tetracycline, excessive fluoride exposure during childhood, or trauma to teeth may not lighten significantly with bleaching treatments alone.

You’re Looking for Fast, Noticeable Results

Professional whitening is perfect if you want a dramatic improvement quickly. If you’re preparing for a wedding, job interview, or other important event and need your smile to look its best in a short timeframe, professional treatment delivers results that over-the-counter products can’t match.

You Don’t Smoke or Are Willing to Quit

Non-smokers are ideal candidates because they won’t immediately re-stain their newly whitened teeth. If you do smoke, Dr. Munro can still whiten your teeth, but you’ll need to quit or significantly reduce tobacco use to maintain your results for any meaningful length of time.

When Professional Whitening May Not Be the Best Option

You Have Active Gum Disease

Gingivitis and periodontitis cause inflamed, sensitive gum tissue that whitening agents can irritate significantly. Dr. Munro must treat any gum diseasebefore proceeding with cosmetic whitening to avoid causing you unnecessary pain and potentially worsening your gum condition.

Your Teeth Have Gray or Brown Discoloration

While yellow stains respond beautifully to whitening, gray-toned discoloration from medications or brown stains from fluorosis often resist bleaching treatments. These types of intrinsic staining may require alternative cosmetic solutions like veneers or bonding to achieve the appearance you want.

You Have Multiple Visible Dental Restorations

If you have several crowns, veneers, or large fillings in your front teeth, whitening will create a mismatched appearance since these restorations won’t change color. You’d need to replace all visible restorations after whitening to match your new tooth shade, which can become expensive quickly.

You’re Planning to Get Dental Restorations Soon

If you know you’ll need crowns, veneers, or bridges in the near future, it’s better to whiten your teeth first so your dentist can match the restorations to your brighter shade. Whitening after getting restorations means the new dental work will appear darker than your whitened natural teeth.

You Have Severely Worn Enamel

Teeth with extremely thin enamel from grinding, acid erosion, or aggressive brushing may be too sensitive for professional whitening. The bleaching agents can penetrate more deeply when enamel is compromised, potentially causing significant discomfort and even damage to the underlying tooth structure.

You’re Under 18 Years Old

Teenagers and children should wait until their enamel has fully matured before pursuing professional whitening. If a young person has noticeable discoloration, it’s important to determine the underlying cause rather than simply covering it up with cosmetic treatment.

You Have Unrealistic Expectations About Results

If you’re expecting your teeth to become stark white regardless of your natural tooth color, you may be disappointed with professional whitening. Dr. Munro helps set realistic expectations during your consultation based on what’s actually achievable for your specific tooth shade.

You’re Unable or Unwilling to Maintain Results

Professional whitening requires ongoing maintenance, including dietary adjustments, good oral hygiene, and periodic touch-up treatments. If you’re not prepared to make these commitments, your results will fade quickly, making the initial investment less worthwhile.

What We Evaluate During Your Consultation

Dr. Munro conducts a thorough assessment to determine your candidacy and recommend the best whitening approach:

• Current tooth shade and type of stainingto predict how well your teeth will respond to bleaching agents
• Existing dental restorations,including crowns, veneers, dental fillings, and bridges, that won’t change color with whitening
• Oral health statusto identify any cavities, gum disease, or other issues requiring treatment before cosmetic procedures
• Enamel thickness and conditionto ensure your teeth can safely tolerate professional-strength whitening agents
• Sensitivity historyto determine if we need to use desensitizing protocols or adjust treatment intensity
• Lifestyle factors,including coffee consumption, smoking habits, and dietary preferences, that affect longevity
• Your aesthetic goalsto ensure professional whitening can deliver the results you’re hoping to achieve

Alternative Options When Whitening Isn’t Right

If you’re not a good candidate for professional whitening, other cosmetic solutions can still give you the smile you want:

Porcelain Veneers

Custom-made shells that cover the front surface of teeth can mask severe discoloration, chips, gaps, and other cosmetic flaws that whitening can’t address. Veneers create a uniformly bright appearance regardless of your natural tooth color.

Dental Bonding

Tooth-colored resin can be applied to individual discolored teeth to improve their appearance without affecting your entire smile. Cosmetic bondingis more affordable than veneers and can be completed in a single appointment.

Cosmetic Crowns

If you have teeth with intrinsic staining or structural damage, crowns can restore both function and appearance. Modern materials create natural-looking results that blend seamlessly with surrounding teeth.

Professional Dental Cleaning

Sometimes what appears to be discoloration is actually surface staining and tartar buildup. A thorough professional teeth cleaningcan make teeth appear noticeably brighter without any bleaching agents.

Call (613) 735-2336to explore which cosmetic option is best for your smile goals and dental health.

Frequently Asked Questions