What is the deal with teeth whitening?

Many people ask and want to know; what is the deal with teeth whitening and which is truly the best way to whiten? With so many options out there these days it is certainly a good question. You have your in office whitening procedures such as Zoom and Brite Smile as well as your over the counter products such as Crest Whitening Strips. I've been asked many times which is better and most effective.

With your over the counter products, such as Crest Whitening Strips you will defintely achieve results, however, they can not be customized to your mouth and tooth structure. Many of the strip products will make your gums sensitive and sore because the strips are "one size fits all" and often when placed on your teeth extend onto your gums. In other cases, if someone has a longer tooth structure they may not cover the entire tooth, therefore, not whitening the entire tooth. Last but not least, depending on the size of one's mouth the strips may not be long enough and therefore not go back far enough into the mouth to cover the necessary teeth for a beautiful white smile.

The differences with in office procedures, specifically our Zoom in office procedure are many. First and foremost our in office procedure is a two hour whitening appointment during which your teeth can lighten 8-12 shades. However, through time we have perfected our whitening procedure by also providing our patients with customized take home trays to further enhance the whitening process and to produce better and longer lasting results. A mold is taken of your teeth at your whitening appointment to create an exact fitting whitening tray for both your top and bottom arch. With this type of personalized tray the whitening gel is able to spread across the entire surface of your tooth without spreading onto your gums and extends back the entire arch. At Prosmiles we do both the in office Zoom procedure in addition to the customized take home trays and whitening gel, all for ONLY $450!

Finally, we wanted to address to myth that once you whiten your teeth you can no longer drink your favorite drinks such as coffee, tea or red wine. That is absolutely false! As long as you do a maintanance whitening at home for one hour with your whitening trays every four months your teeth will stay white; just the way you like them.

If you have any other dental or whitening questions you would like answered do not hesitate to call our office and I would be happy to address any question or concern you may have.

Dr. Lena