Why Teeth Whitening?
- Dull, yellow, or stained teeth
- Teeth stained from aging
- Teeth stained from wine, coffee, or tobacco smoke
What is Teeth Whitening?
Thin, comfortable plastic whitening trays will be made from models of your teeth. At home, you will place a whitening gel in each tray and wear the trays in your mouth for one to two hours per day. Many patients wear their trays after dinner and before bed. A significant change in tooth color is usually seen in just three to four days, and in two to three weeks treatment is usually complete. If after several months a “touch-up” is desired, it can be done at home in three or five applications using the same process.
The Benefits of Teeth Whitening
Modern tooth whitening systems are highly effective, safe, and produce dramatic results. Many celebrities consistently whiten their teeth to improve their appearance.
Does Teeth Whitening Work For Everyone?
Every patient will see some improvement in the color of their teeth but there are some limitations and the treatment does vary from patient to patient. Teeth that have existing dental restorations such and crowns, veneers, or composite fillings will not lighten because they are not made out of the same material natural teeth are. Dental implants will also not whiten compared to adjacent natural teeth. Also teeth that have internal stains such as teeth that suffered trauma and required a root canal will often not whiten as much as the adjacent teeth. Changing the shade of these teeth is more difficult and will often require crowns or veneers to correct their color.
Teeth Whitening Works Best On What Type of Patient?
Teeth whitening works best on teeth with natural clinical crowns meaning they have not been repaired with a veneer, crown, or composite filling OR replaced with a dental implant. Teeth whitening works best on patients with healthy natural teeth that have been stained with external staining agents such as wine, coffee, or tobacco smoke.
What is the Process To Whiten Teeth?
It’s a very simple painless procedure that first requires us to take impressions of your teeth. The impression enables us to fabricate a plaster model of your teeth. We use these models to fabricate a custom fitting tray that fits over your teeth. The tray is designed to hold the whitening agent up against your teeth during treatment. The patient simple dispenses a small amount of the whitening agent in to the tray and slips them over their teeth for an amount of time we determine during your exam. Generally speaking the patient will experience immediate whitening within just the first few treatment sessions.
