Teeth Whitening

Teeth Whitening

Teeth Whitening, or bleaching, is a procedure used to lighten the shade of natural teeth. This is becoming increasingly popular and when done correctly, should not cause damage to the teeth. Porcelain crowns and tooth-colored fillings do not bleach, so it is important to have a careful evaluation of you smile done before trying bleaching, to ensure no surprises in what you will want to be a uniform shade. In our office we provide a couple of different bleaching methods.

Take home whitening kit: Impressions of your teeth are made and a special clear tray is made to fit your teeth exactly. Trays are then sent home with you along with vials of bleach. A small amount of the bleaching agent is placed in the trays and they are worn for about an hour each day, usually for 2-3 weeks. After this, the trays can be put in for an hour once a month or once every 6 weeks, to maintain the new lighter shade. Frequency of needing to do this depends on your specific food habits.

Laser Bleaching: Laser bleaching is done in the office, and is ideal for people who do not want to deal with trays, or for people who feel they need to have their teeth whiter immediately. This procedure takes about 1.5 hours in office. The teeth are carefully isolated and a special gel is placed on the teeth. The laser is then used to activate the gel and thus lighten the teeth for an immediate whiter smile.

Internal Bleaching: When a single tooth has had a root canal it may begin to darken. If the tooth is a candidate, internal whitening can be done to whiten the tooth and get it to match shade again with the adjacent teeth.