{"id":6531,"date":"2017-04-05T19:57:43","date_gmt":"2017-04-05T19:57:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/?p=6531"},"modified":"2021-08-05T22:49:49","modified_gmt":"2021-08-05T22:49:49","slug":"what-to-know-before-whitening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/what-to-know-before-whitening\/","title":{"rendered":"What To Know Before Whitening"},"content":{"rendered":"<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-6553 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/blog-whitening-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Teeth whitening\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/>So, you need a cleaning before you even think about whitening your teeth? WHAT?! Yes. A cleaning is recommended for all patients prior to whitening. Keep reading as to why this is important.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Chasidy and Allison have teamed up to shed some light on the importance of a cleaning, also known as a Prophylaxis. Prophy for short.. Because who has time to spell out P R O P H Y L A X I S? We have some information on the difference between a basic cleaning vs. deep cleaning. Allison will also explain what Periodontal Maintenance is. (we say Perio for short. Because c&#8217;mon, the time.. Am I right?)<\/span><!--more-->\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Now let us get down to business and answer some of the questions you keep asking yourself. Ready? Great, let&#8217;s go!<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Q<\/strong>: What is a basic cleaning?<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\"><strong>A<\/strong>: A basic dental cleaning involves the removal of plaque, tartar and staining in order to prevent gum disease and promote overall good oral health. A patient who needs a basic cleaning must not have any radiographic evidence of tartar below the gumline. A basic cleaning is recommended every 6 months.<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Q<\/strong>:\u00a0What is a deep cleaning?<\/span><\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\"><strong>A<\/strong>: During a deep cleaning, build up that causes bone loss is removed in order to maintain bone and tissue health. A deep cleaning is necessary when plaque and tartar has extended deep underneath the gums and on the root surfaces of the teeth. A patient that needs a deep cleaning has periodontal disease, also known as gum disease.<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Q<\/strong>: What is perio maintenance?<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\"><strong>A<\/strong>: Periodontal maintenance is a type of cleaning that is performed after the patient has had a deep cleaning, in order to help maintain the bone levels and gum health. Periodontal maintenance is usually recommended every 3-4 months, depending on the improvement of oral hygiene and health of the gums.<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\"><strong>Q<\/strong>: Why is it important to have a cleaning prior to whitening your teeth?<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\"><strong>A<\/strong>:\u00a0It is a good idea to have a cleaning before you whiten your teeth to ensure that there is no staining or bacteria present at the time of whitening, as well as no cavities present. Having clean teeth when whitening is recommended so that the whitening agent can penetrate the surface of the tooth and optimal results can be reached.<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\"><strong>Q<\/strong>: Is it possible to get a basic cleaning when a deep cleaning has been recommended?<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\"><strong>A<\/strong>: When a deep cleaning has been recommended for a patient, this means that there is a heavy amount of build up beneath the gums as well as bone loss present; therefore, a basic cleaning will not be adequate in removing all of the build up. Build up that is left underneath the gums will continue to be destructive to the bone and surrounding tissue. Untreated gum disease will eventually lead to tooth loss, so removal of all build up beneath the gums is crucial. This is why performing a basic cleaning on someone with periodontal disease that needs a deep cleaning is against professional standards. As dental professionals, we are here to serve our patients with the best care possible to ensure total oral health.<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">We strive to give our patients the best care and the best\u00a0smile! But we do have to make sure you are the perfect candidate for whitening.\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Whitening Screening Criteria:<\/span>\n<ol>\n \t<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">No active caries or teeth needing restorations in area of whitening<\/span><\/li>\n \t<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Patient cannot be pregnant or nursing<\/span><\/li>\n \t<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">15 year old or younger may need radiograph to assess tooth development.<\/span><\/li>\n \t<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Gum disease\/Periodontitis needs to be controlled first.<\/span><\/li>\n \t<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Exposed root surfaces<\/span><\/li>\n \t<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Excessive Dry Mouth or Hypersensitivity<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Facts:<\/span>\n<ol>\n \t<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Will not whiten existing restorations like fillings, crowns, veneers, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n \t<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">May cause tooth and gum sensitivity<\/span><\/li>\n \t<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Will not whiten intrinsic staining from tetracycline.. Bands of staining<\/span><\/li>\n \t<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Possibility of rebound discoloration, non-uniform whitening (streaky or blotchy areas) Patient may need touch-up whitening.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">We hope this helps answer any questions you may have had regarding dental cleanings!\u00a0<\/span>\n\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Signing Out: Chasidy Alvarez and Allison Hamm, RDH<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"So, you need a cleaning before you even think about whitening your teeth? WHAT?! Yes. A cleaning is recommended for all patients prior to whitening. Keep reading as to why this is important.\u00a0 Chasidy and Allison have teamed up to shed some light on the importance of a cleaning, also known as a Prophylaxis. Prophy for short.. Because who has time to spell out P R O P H Y L A X I S? [&hellip;] <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/what-to-know-before-whitening\/\">(Read More)<\/a>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6532,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What To Know Before Whitening - Texas Dentistry and Braces<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/what-to-know-before-whitening\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What To Know Before Whitening - Texas Dentistry and Braces\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"So, you need a cleaning before you even think about whitening your teeth? WHAT?! Yes. A cleaning is recommended for all patients prior to whitening. Keep reading as to why this is important.\u00a0 Chasidy and Allison have teamed up to shed some light on the importance of a cleaning, also known as a Prophylaxis. Prophy for short.. Because who has time to spell out P R O P H Y L A X I S? [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/what-to-know-before-whitening\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Texas Dentistry and Braces\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/texasdentistryandbraces\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-04-05T19:57:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-08-05T22:49:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"texasdentistry\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"texasdentistry\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/what-to-know-before-whitening\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/what-to-know-before-whitening\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"texasdentistry\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/48508ac191f827c1f0f0c5f105ef41b9\"},\"headline\":\"What To Know Before Whitening\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-04-05T19:57:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-08-05T22:49:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/what-to-know-before-whitening\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":668,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/what-to-know-before-whitening\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/what-to-know-before-whitening\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/what-to-know-before-whitening\\\/\",\"name\":\"What To Know Before Whitening - Texas Dentistry and Braces\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/what-to-know-before-whitening\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/what-to-know-before-whitening\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-04-05T19:57:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-08-05T22:49:49+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/what-to-know-before-whitening\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/what-to-know-before-whitening\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/what-to-know-before-whitening\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/what-to-know-before-whitening\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What To Know Before Whitening\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Texas Dentistry and Braces\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Texas Dentistry and Braces\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/site-logo-v1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/site-logo-v1.png\",\"width\":119,\"height\":119,\"caption\":\"Texas Dentistry and Braces\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/texasdentistryandbraces\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/texasdentistryandbraces\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/48508ac191f827c1f0f0c5f105ef41b9\",\"name\":\"texasdentistry\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/633f479fdc98225a75f815224f731dfff025a5b4865709e1dfff93c928f09296?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/633f479fdc98225a75f815224f731dfff025a5b4865709e1dfff93c928f09296?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/633f479fdc98225a75f815224f731dfff025a5b4865709e1dfff93c928f09296?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"texasdentistry\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/texasdentistry\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What To Know Before Whitening - Texas Dentistry and Braces","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/what-to-know-before-whitening\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What To Know Before Whitening - Texas Dentistry and Braces","og_description":"So, you need a cleaning before you even think about whitening your teeth? WHAT?! Yes. A cleaning is recommended for all patients prior to whitening. Keep reading as to why this is important.\u00a0 Chasidy and Allison have teamed up to shed some light on the importance of a cleaning, also known as a Prophylaxis. Prophy for short.. Because who has time to spell out P R O P H Y L A X I S? [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/what-to-know-before-whitening\/","og_site_name":"Texas Dentistry and Braces","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/texasdentistryandbraces","article_published_time":"2017-04-05T19:57:43+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-08-05T22:49:49+00:00","author":"texasdentistry","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"texasdentistry","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/what-to-know-before-whitening\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/what-to-know-before-whitening\/"},"author":{"name":"texasdentistry","@id":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/48508ac191f827c1f0f0c5f105ef41b9"},"headline":"What To Know Before Whitening","datePublished":"2017-04-05T19:57:43+00:00","dateModified":"2021-08-05T22:49:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/what-to-know-before-whitening\/"},"wordCount":668,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/what-to-know-before-whitening\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/what-to-know-before-whitening\/","url":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/what-to-know-before-whitening\/","name":"What To Know Before Whitening - Texas Dentistry and Braces","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/what-to-know-before-whitening\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/what-to-know-before-whitening\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","datePublished":"2017-04-05T19:57:43+00:00","dateModified":"2021-08-05T22:49:49+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/what-to-know-before-whitening\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/what-to-know-before-whitening\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/what-to-know-before-whitening\/#primaryimage","url":"","contentUrl":""},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/what-to-know-before-whitening\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What To Know Before Whitening"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/","name":"Texas Dentistry and Braces","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/#organization"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Texas Dentistry and Braces","url":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/site-logo-v1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/site-logo-v1.png","width":119,"height":119,"caption":"Texas Dentistry and Braces"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/texasdentistryandbraces","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/texasdentistryandbraces\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/48508ac191f827c1f0f0c5f105ef41b9","name":"texasdentistry","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/633f479fdc98225a75f815224f731dfff025a5b4865709e1dfff93c928f09296?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/633f479fdc98225a75f815224f731dfff025a5b4865709e1dfff93c928f09296?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/633f479fdc98225a75f815224f731dfff025a5b4865709e1dfff93c928f09296?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"texasdentistry"},"url":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/author\/texasdentistry\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6531"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6531\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6555,"href":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6531\/revisions\/6555"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.texasdentistryforkids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}