Teeth Whitening
A Beautiful White Smile, Faster Than You Expect
Unfortunately, most people simply aren’t born with the beautiful white smile they’d like. And even if you naturally have white teeth, daily wear-and-tear takes its toll over time and leads to stains and discoloration. Fortunately, we have two different professional whitening options that will take your smile from dull to dazzling in less time than you think. If you’d like a beautiful white smile, give us a call today to schedule an appointment!
Types of Tooth Stains
There are two main categories of stains: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic stain occurs in the deeper layers of the teeth, while extrinsic stain accumulates on the enamel (the hard, outer layer). Many specific types of stains can result from:
- Poor oral hygiene
- Foods and beverages such as red wine, berries, turmeric, coffee, and tea
- Tobacco
- Heredity
- Age
- Developmental defects in the enamel
- Certain antihistamines, antidepressants, and antibiotics (tetracycline) in childhood
- Blunt force trauma to the teeth
Zoom! Teeth Whitening Process
With a Zoom! whitening treatment, you’ll come into our office and leave about two hours later with your final results. Here’s how it works:
- We’ll start by determining your initial shade so we can evaluate your final results.
- We’ll isolate and protect all the soft tissues in your mouth such as your lips, gums, and cheeks before applying a professional strength whitening solution to your teeth.
- Then we’ll expose your teeth to a special light that accelerates the process. This is done in 15-20 increments.
- We’ll continuously monitor your results throughout your visit to make sure you don’t develop any sensitivity.
- Lastly, we’ll go over the best way to maintain your bright new smile at home.
Difference Between In-Office and At-Home Teeth Whitening
With at-home whitening, you’ll still get a smile up to 8 shades brighter, but it will be done more gradually. You’ll come in to have impressions taken and return 1-2 weeks later to pick up custom-made whitening trays and a supply of whitening gel. Then you’ll wear your trays for 30-60 minutes a day until your final result is achieved (usually in 10-14 days).
How Long Will My Results Last?
In many cases, whitening results last up to three years, but that can vary quite a bit depending on your lifestyle choices and oral hygiene habits. Many of our patients like to touch up about once a year to keep their smile looking its best, which is easy to do. You can use your custom trays for many years and only need to pick up inexpensive refills of whitening gel.
To help extend the life of your results, we recommend that you get a professional cleaning every 6 months and limit foods and beverages that stain your teeth. When you do have something that stains, swish it with water several times afterward. It’s also important to maintain good oral hygiene at home, and tools like an electric toothbrush or whitening toothpaste can make a big difference.
Teeth Whitening FAQs
Are you considering getting professional teeth whitening from our practice but aren’t sure whether it’s worth the investment? We don’t want you to miss out on this amazing opportunity to boost your self-confidence by brightening your smile. To help you make a more well-informed decision, we’ve answered a few of our most frequently asked questions about teeth whitening in the section below.
If you’ve tried over-the-counter teeth whitening gels, strips, toothpastes, and mouthwashes, your teeth might have become sensitive to hot or cold temperatures afterward. This may have deterred you from teeth whitening altogether. Rest assured that our treatment shouldn’t cause sensitivity. Unlike most store-bought products, the bleaching gel we use is specially formulated to minimize discomfort. If you do experience sensitivity after our whitening treatment, it shouldn’t last more than a day or two.
Store-bought teeth whitening products are notorious for not only causing tooth sensitivity, but for eroding your enamel and making you more vulnerable to cavities. Generally, the more you use these products, the higher your risk. In contrast, you won’t have to worry about any of these harmful side effects with our professional whitening treatment. The ingredients we use have all been deemed safe for your teeth and gums.
Because dental restorations are not as porous as tooth enamel, teeth whitening won’t work on veneers, crowns, bridges, or fillings. In fact, the bleaching gel can actually temporarily weaken the bond between your restoration and your tooth. If you have any of these restorations, you may want to get them replaced after your whitening treatment so that they don’t stand out in your smile. We can discuss these options during your consultation.
For the first 48-72 hours after getting your teeth whitened, your enamel will be more porous than it normally is. Because of this, your teeth will more easily absorb particles that result in staining. To prevent discoloration, we strongly recommend that for the first few days after you’re finished with our whitening treatment, you avoid using tobacco products and consuming foods and drinks that stain teeth, like coffee, tea, wine, berries, etc.
Not at all! In fact, teeth whitening is quite popular with our older patients. As you age, the enamel of your teeth naturally becomes thinner, exposing more of the yellowish layer of dentin underneath it. Because of this, we often unconsciously associate whiter teeth with youth. By getting your teeth professionally whitened, you can knock years off your smile!