Teeth Whitening

Tooth whitening (or bleaching) is a simple, non-invasive dental treatment used to change the color of natural tooth enamel and is an ideal way to enhance the beauty of your smile.

Because having whiter teeth has now become the number one aesthetic concern of most patients, there are a number of ways to whiten teeth.  The most popular method is using a home tooth whitening system that will whiten teeth dramatically.  Since tooth whitening only works on natural tooth enamel, it is important to evaluate replacement of any old fillings, crowns, etc.  Replacement of any restorations will be done after bleaching so they will match the newly bleached teeth.

Tooth whitening is not permanent.  A touch-up maybe needed every 6 months or so depending on your oral habits like smoking, wine consumption, tea or coffee.  Even natural teeth will restain over time and will need a touch-up. If your oral hygiene is good and you don't over do it with the stuff mentioned above then an hour of touch-up every 6 months will leave your teeth beautiful.

Reasons for tooth whitening:

• Fluorosis (excessive fluoridation during tooth development).
• Normal wear of outer tooth layer and excessive staining.
• Stained teeth due to medications (tetracycline, etc.).
• Yellow, brown stained teeth.

What does tooth whitening involve?

Here at the Advanced Dental Cosmetic Center we approach whitening very seriously.  We want to do it right and therefore our protocol requires a little work on our part and the patient.

This type of tooth whitening  (Home whitening with trays) usually requires a number of appointments depending on your special needs.  At the first appointment, impressions (molds) will be made of your teeth to fabricate custom, clear plastic, trays. Additional records are obtained like your current shade, pictures,  recording any complicated areas that may be difficult to whiten and any possible follow up treatment necessary to complete the process like veneers or  reaccomplishing some white filling to match your now beautiful teeth.  Additionally you and your dentist should set a goal to obtain with a very specific shade.  We call this our target shade.  We write this shade down in the chart so that we can refer to it as we progress.  This allows you and the dentist to see the progress that is being made throughout the treatment. 

At your second appointment, you will try on the trays for proper fit, and adjustments will be made if necessary.  The trays are worn with special whitening solution according to your specific needs and  concentration of whitening solution  set by your dentist.    Depending on the number of shades that have been planned for you to change, it will take between 2-4 weeks to arrrive at your target shade. It will be   normal to experience some tooth sensitivity during the time you are whitening your teeth, but it can be easily controlled with the right wear schedule will subside shortly after you have stopped bleaching. In this office you will receive new whitening solution every week in order to have the freshiest solution possible.   Also  weekly or bi-weekly appointments allow us to see your progress by checking your shade.  This is exciting because you and our staff get to see just how white your teeth are becoming.  We  love to see these beautiful changes in peoples smiles.

You will receive care instructions for your teeth and trays, and you will be  encouraged to visit us regularly to help maintain a beautiful, healthy, white smile after the whitening process is completed.

Here at the Advanced Dental Cosmetic Center we utilize a COMPUTER COSMETIC IMAGER to capture your smile and morph it into that beautiful smile that you have always wanted.  We use this computer on every whiten case we do.  This is the only reliable way to achieve great results and very happy patients.  

If you are interested in whitening your teeth or just want to talk about the possibility of improving your smile give us a call..  Click here to make an appointment.