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Teeth Whitening For People With Sensitive Teeth

Sensitive Teeth and Teeth Whitening

For people with sensitive teeth, you might be reluctant to try teeth whitening to avoid increasing your teeth’ sensitivity or pain. However, there are several options to help you achieve a whiter, brighter smile without cousin discomfort. In this post, you will learn more about some common causes of tooth sensitivity and how to get effective and safe teeth whitening for sensitive teeth.

Table of Contents

What Are the Causes of Tooth Sensitivity?

Let’s start by talking about what causes tooth sensitivity. Tooth sensitivity is a common condition that affects many people. It can be caused by several different factors, including:

  • Gum recession: whenever gums recede, they expose the dentin, the sensitive part of the tooth. This causes sensitivity to cold and hot temperatures.
  • Enamel erosion: enamel is the protective hard layer outside your teeth. If it becomes eroded, it exposes the dentin lying underneath.
  • Tooth decay: cavities could lead to tooth sensitivity, especially near the gum line.
  • Grinding teeth: Teeth grinding could wear down the enamel, eventually leading to sensitivity.

How Can You Whiten Sensitive Teeth?

If you have sensitive teeth, a few options and guidelines are available to help you enjoy a glowing smile. The following are some of the few options to consider:

  1. Using toothpaste formulated for sensitive teeth before treatment: first, you want to look for toothpaste designed with ingredients that can help reduce sensitivity, such as strontium chloride and potassium nitrate. This can help prepare your teeth for the whitening procedure and minimize discomfort.
  2. Using a low-concentration whitening gel: Most at-home whitening kits usually feature a high-concentration gel that could easily result in tooth sensitivity. But options are available with lower concentrations that will be gentler on teeth. To minimize sensitivity, go for products with about 10% hydrogen peroxide concentration or less.
  3. Going for professional in-office teeth whitening: You should consider visiting a professional whitening service if you have severe sensitivity or want a quicker and more effective result. Your dentist may be able to use a more powerful whitening gel and will be better placed to take the necessary steps to minimize tooth sensitivity and protect your gums.
  4. Using desensitizing treatments: you could use a fluoride treatment or a desensitizing gel to deal with your tooth sensitivity before and after the teeth whitening procedure. This may be the best approach for whitening sensitive teeth.
  5. Avoiding foods and drinks that can increase teeth sensitivity: Certain foods and drinks like soda, citrus fruits, and coffee have been known to increase teeth sensitivity. Try avoiding these for a few days before and after the whitening procedure.

Should I Be Worried About Dentin Sensitivity Following Teeth Whitening?

Even after taking the precautions above, some people will still experience temporary sensitivity after the whitening treatment, especially in cold and hot temperatures. This is mainly because teeth whitening will temporarily open the enamel pores, allowing the whitening gel to penetrate deeper to break up and eliminate the stains. The result of this is that the dentin layer might become more sensitive when exposed.

However, this sensitivity is usually only temporary and mild. It should subside within the next few days. You could minimize the sensitivity by avoiding cold or hot foods and drinks, getting a fluoride treatment to strengthen the enamel, and using desensitizing toothpaste. In the most severe cases, your dentist might prescribe stronger desensitizing treatments.

Are There Other Considerations to Keep in Mind?

Before starting the teeth whitening procedure, you should always talk to your dentist to ensure it’s safe for you. Aside from sensitivity, there are a few more considerations you want to keep in mind.

  • Existing dental work

If you have existing dental work, like crowns or fillings, they won’t whiten along with the natural teeth. This could cause uneven discoloration or coloring. Your dentist may recommend updating or replacing the dental work to match the whitened teeth.

  • Breastfeeding and pregnancy

You should avoid teeth whitening if you’re breastfeeding or pregnant. While there isn’t concrete evidence to ascertain that teeth whitening harms a breastfeeding or pregnant woman, it’s best to be cautious and wait until you’ve stopped breastfeeding.

  • Medications

Some medications, like antibiotics, could cause teeth discoloration. In such cases, teeth whitening treatment may not be effective. It’s important to inform your dentist about any medications you might be taking before you start your whitening treatment.

Let J Street Dental Group Help you Get Your Dream Smile

Having sensitive teeth doesn’t mean you should give up on the idea of a whiter and brighter smile. The proper products and precautions can help whiten teeth safely without too much pain or discomfort. Consult with your dentist to establish the best course of action for your personal needs and ensure an effective and safe whitening treatment.

If you prefer to have a professional in-office session, book an appointment at J Street Dental Group. Our Sacramento, CA office welcomes you to a consultation with our experts to ensure you get an optimal smile.

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5/7/2024

 

5/7/2025
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J Street Dental Group – Candidate Privacy Notice

J Street Dental Group is committed to respecting your online privacy and recognizes your need for appropriate protection and management of any personally identifiable information (“Personal Information”) you share with us.

J Street Dental Group is a “data controller”. This means that we are responsible for deciding how we hold and use personal information about you. This privacy notice makes you aware of how and why your personal data will be used, namely for the purposes of the J Street Dental Group employment recruitment process, and how long it will usually be retained.

Data protection principles

We will comply with data protection law and principles, which means that your data will be:

  • Used lawfully, fairly, and in a transparent way.
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  • Accurate and kept up to date.
  • Kept only as long as necessary for the purposes we have told you about.
  • Kept securely.

 

The kind of information we hold about you

In connection with your application for work with us, we will collect, store, and use the following categories of personal information about you:

  • The information you have provided to us in your curriculum vitae and cover letter.
  • The information you have provided on our application form, including name, title, address, telephone number, personal email address, employment history, and qualifications.
  • Any information you provide to us during an interview.

 

How is your personal information collected?

We collect personal information about candidates from the following sources:

  • You, the candidate.
  • Recruitment agencies and vendors we have agreed on terms in place with
  • Professional networking profile
  • Employees and others who refer you to us


How we will use information about you?

We will use the personal information we collect about you to:

  • Assess your skills, qualifications, and suitability for the role.
  • Carry out background and reference checks, where applicable.
  • Communicate with you about the recruitment process.
  • Keep records related to our hiring processes.
  • Comply with legal or regulatory requirements.
  • We also need to process your personal information to decide whether to enter into a contract of employment with you.

Having received your CV, cover letter, and/or your application form, we will then process that information to decide whether you meet the basic requirements to be screened by our in-house recruitment team for the role. If you do, we will decide whether your application is strong enough to invite you for an interview, be it by telephone, in person, or by other electronic means. If we decide to engage you for an interview, we will use the information you provide to us at the interview to decide whether to offer you the role. If we decide to offer you the role, we will then take up references before confirming your appointment.

If you fail to provide personal information

If you fail to provide information when requested, which is necessary for us to consider your application (such as evidence of qualifications or work history), we will not be able to process your application successfully and we will not be able to take your application further.

Automated decision-making

You will not be subject to decisions that will have a significant impact on you based solely on automated decision-making.

Data sharing With third parties

  • We will only share your personal information with the following third parties for the purposes of processing your application; this may involve sharing your information with other companies within our own group if we consider they may have other relevant vacancies and only if you consent to such sharing
  • All our third-party service providers and other entities in the group are required to take appropriate security measures to protect your personal information in line with our policies. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes. We only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.

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We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal information from being accidentally lost, used, or accessed in an unauthorized way, altered, or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your personal information to those employees, agents, contractors, and other third parties who have a business need-to-know. They will only process your personal information on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected data security breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected breach where we are legally required to do so.

Data retention (how long will you use my information for)

  • We will retain your personal information for a period of 2 years after we have communicated to you our decision about whether to appoint you to the role. We will retain your personal information so that we can make you aware of any suitable alternative roles that arise during this period.
  • We further retain your personal information for that period so that we can show, in the event of a legal claim, that we have not discriminated against candidates on prohibited grounds and that we have conducted the recruitment exercise in a fair and transparent way. After this period, we will securely destroy your personal information in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
  • If you would prefer that we did not retain your personal information, you can notify us at any time and we will delete your personal information.


Rights of access, correction, erasure, and restriction

Under certain circumstances, by law, you have the right to:

  • Request access to your personal information (commonly known as a “data subject access request”). This enables you to receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you and to check that we are lawfully processing it.
  • Request correction of the personal information that we hold about you. This enables you to have any incomplete or inaccurate information we hold about you corrected.
  • Request erasure of your personal information. This enables you to ask us to delete or remove personal information where there is no good reason for us to continue to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your personal information where you have exercised your right to object to processing (see below).
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Right to withdraw consent

When you applied for this role, you provided consent to us processing your personal information for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. You have the right to withdraw your consent for processing for that purpose at any time.

To withdraw your consent, please contact the Recruitment Manager. Once we have received notification that you have withdrawn your consent, we will no longer process your application, and, subject to our policies, we will dispose of your personal data securely.

Data protection officer

We have appointed a data protection officer (DPO) to oversee compliance with this privacy notice. If you have any questions about this privacy notice or how we handle your personal information, please contact the DPO by email, at info@jstreetdentalgroup.com.

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