If you have patients expressing an interest in teeth whitening gels and other such systems for ensuring a brighter Hollywood smile this year, make sure you find out about their medical history first and advise them on the appropriate use of teeth whitening products.
For example, only those people who have all their own teeth (no dentures, for example) should consider teeth whitening. It is also not advisable for children or anyone who still has their baby teeth to undergo this kind of treatment, since baby and adult teeth are different colours. Advise your patients to wait until all their adult teeth have come through.
If as an adult your patient has had a lot of dental work done, such as implants, crowns and filings, you might want to advise them that tooth whitening procedures may not be the most appropriate for them either.
Remind them as well that no two sets of teeth are the same and what worked for their friend may not work as well for them. This is why it's important to work out the right kind of tooth whitening treatment for individual patients as there is no one size fits all approach. Discuss budgets with your patient as well, since this will likely inform their choices when it comes to working out what treatments to go for.
Make sure you put any fears they may have to rest as well. Reassure them that teeth whitening is perfectly safe as long as products are used according to the instructions - which is why it may be better to go to a licensed professional rather than trying it at home.
