​Teeth whitening is a quick and highly effective way to enhance the appearance of your teeth and to give yourself an overall brighter smile.

 

Teeth become stained or discolored for a variety of reasons, including:

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• Poor oral and/or dental hygiene habits.

• High consumption of drinks that stain (tea, wine, coffee, soda, etc.).

• Smoking or Drug Use

• Illness or Certain Prescribed Medication

• Fluorosis

• Aging - Over time, the teeth darken with a yellow, brown, green or grey cast (which may be heredity). Yellowed teeth tend to whiten most readily.​

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Take-Home System | If you’re looking for an alternative to in-office whitening treatment, then our take-home whitening system may be the right option for you. Only dentists can provide systems that contain the highest percentage of bleaching agents, compared to the low-dose over-the-counter kits. The take-home system includes custom-fitted application trays made of a flexible plastic material and offers several benefits.

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Benefits:

• They ensure that the bleach stays in contact with the teeth, for maximum results.
• They help prevent saliva from mixing with the bleaching agent (which can dilute its strength).
• They minimize the amount of bleach that can irritate the gums.

 

Procedure: Bleaching compounds are stored in syringes and provided for our patients to apply to their trays as needed. We will fine-tune the bleach concentration and add a desensitizing agent to use. Generally, our kits provide enough gel for one two-week treatment per year, plus one- or two-day touch-ups every four to six months.

 

 

In-Office Bleaching | Professional, in-office teeth whitening is the most popular cosmetic dental procedure in the world today. In-office whitening takes place under carefully monitored conditions which allow for the controlled, safe, pain-free use of a high concentration of bleaching gel – yielding results that are visible immediately.

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Advantages of In-Office Bleaching:

• Produces the fastest results.

• The safest form of bleaching.

• Gum and tooth sensitivity are more controllable due to thicker peroxide gels and the use of desensitizers such as potassium nitrate and fluoride.

 

Procedure: Typically, this procedure is not painful or uncomfortable; in fact, many patients watch a DVD or doze off during the procedure. A cosmetic consultation and dental exam are required prior to any teeth whitening treatment.

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Stains That Cannot Be Removed with a Whitening System

 

Some dental situations can cause undesirable reverse effects, specifically teeth with certain stains that are inorganic. Inorganic stains do not respond well to bleaching systems. In fact, these teeth may look even darker after the surrounding teeth have been whitened. This is why it is important to consult a dental professional for teeth whitening!

 

Here are some examples of teeth that will not whiten:

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• Trauma, which causes the dentin to darken.

• Certain antibiotics ingested during tooth-formation. These drugs chemically bind with the crystalline structure of both the tooth’s enamel and underlying dentin.

• Overexposure to fluoride, which can cause fluorosis, resulting in tooth discoloration.

 

If you think you may fall into this category, don’t stress just yet! We have options and solutions, for example; veneers, dental crowns, partials, inlays/onlays, etc.!  A cosmetic consultation is your first step, give us a call! today!