Considerations to explore to help identify the right time for teeth whitening for your patients.
While my kids' day is winding down and they're now fast asleep in bed, my work day is just beginning. I pour myself a coffee and transition into night owl mode as I sit at my desk and write.
Moving on to the purpose of this blog, I will explore the answers to the questions:
- What other factors should be considered in identifying the right time for a patient to have teeth whitening?
- Is teeth whitening right for everyone?
Is teeth whitening right for everyone?
Minimally invasive dentistry holds a relevant place in today’s dentistry, and teeth whitening is undoubtedly a treatment that falls within the realm of minimally invasive dentistry. In order to maintain the desired shade, an element of long-term commitment is required from patients. This involves either wearing trays at home or returning to the dental office for various applications, both at varying intervals. Thus, in addition to the obvious clinical considerations to ensure that a patient may be eligible for teeth whitening, other considerations can be explored to understand the slightly more personal factors that will affect the long-term success of teeth whitening in patients.
There are basic requirements that each patient must adhere to for the long-term success of teeth whitening. In addition to these basic commitments, if it is possible to further identify the most ideal time for teeth whitening for each individual patient, this will certainly further help in the long-term success of teeth whitening.
What other considerations can be taken into account to help build the complete picture?
- Long-term personal priorities, health, personal and career.
- Short-term personal priorities, health, personal and career.
- Current available time.
- Current obstacles affecting long-term priorities, health, personal and career.
- Current obstacles affecting short-term priorities, health, personal life, and career.
Factors and considerations explored.
It is certainly common for doctors to talk generically about certain treatments, and I am sure that if we were to open a discussion in a study club, we could all share our favorite descriptions that we use to describe certain treatments. These descriptions are often refined over the course of our careers due to changes, advances in evidence, or the use of input from other colleagues that resonate with you. But ultimately, it is easy to get stuck in describing using terminology that is easily understood by laypeople, our patients.
There are specific factors regarding teeth whitening and any treatment from a medico-legal perspective that need to be discussed for each patient. That said, how you choose to explain teeth whitening and specific factors regarding teeth whitening will vary if other considerations are taken into account, essentially allowing every conversation regarding teeth whitening to be very varied.
In order to share the most appropriate evidence-based information on teeth whitening specific to individuals, it is necessary to fully understand how people's opinions about teeth whitening were formed. Once the contributing factors have been explored and you have identified how a patient feels about them, it is easier to frame your conversation and determine whether teeth whitening is appropriate for certain individuals at a certain stage. What should be considered in how people’s opinions can be formed?
Reasons why people may want to get their teeth whitened.
- Triggered by seeing many pictures of smiles with white teeth.
- Magazines.
- Mass media.
- After reading an article about teeth whitening.
- Maybe a friend or family member did this.
- Recommendation from family or friends. After noticing that their teeth are a bit yellow in a photo or post on social media. They are getting married soon.
- Blogs.
Reasons why people may not want to get their teeth whitened.
- They heard he was sensitive.
- It doesn't last.
- People didn't notice much of a change.
How are the reasons why people may want teeth whitening and the reasons why people may not want teeth whitening relevant?
Depending on what a person believes is the reason why they want or don't want teeth whitening, it is your role, as a dentist, understand people's opinions and provide them with up-to-date, evidence-based research on teeth whitening that is relevant to them. So, it's important to ask questions like:
- What are your thoughts on teeth whitening?
- Have any of your friends or family ever had teeth whitening?
- Why do you want to whiten your teeth?
- What have you read about teeth whitening?
- Although you don't need teeth whitening, would you ever want it?
- What makes you want teeth whitening?
Teeth whitening undoubtedly contributes to oral health through the possible motivation of patients, and to the general well-being and is the least invasive treatment that can improve someone's smile. However, despite this continue to remember that it is not suitable for everyone.
“Teeth whitening undoubtedly contributes to oral health.”
The treatment may be right, but the timing may not be right for a person. How you identify someone's thoughts is a complex matter in itself. Your role is to ask the right questions., to discover what a person thinks about teeth whitening and how they came to this conclusion. Also, your role is to educate your patient on the relevant factors and considerations regarding teeth whitening that are relevant to each individual patient, so that you can provide optimal information.
Patient evaluation forms are a simple way to extract information from patients and colleagues.
Patient assessment forms may include:
- What are your thoughts on teeth whitening?
- Would you be willing to consider teeth whitening?
- Why might you consider teeth whitening?
- Why might you not consider teeth whitening?
- Do you know anyone who has had teeth whitening?
- How was their experience?
- Do you have time for teeth whitening?
- You know that teeth whitening requires a long-term commitment, would you be able to commit to this?
The sample questions above will help you begin to form a picture of a patient's views on teeth whitening and this will allow you to identify the right time for the patient.
Why are all of the above questions important? It is necessary to continue to provide the public with accurate and up-to-date information about teeth whitening so that dispel false myths and present evidence-based research in a way that is fair to each individual. It is our responsibility, as dental professionals, to educate the public about the relevance of minimally invasive dentistry in today's oral health.
In conclusion
Although a patient may be clinically suitable for teeth whitening, building an understanding of their suitability based on other factors could be valuable.
The above provides you, as a clinician, with the opportunity to discuss teeth whitening as the most non-invasive aesthetic tooth enhancement treatment in dentistry, with the intention of improving the smile and boosting patients' enthusiasm about their overall hygiene regimen, leading to improved oral health.
Source: enlightensmiles.com
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