Professional Teeth Whitening is one of the most popular cosmetic dentistry trends today. This quick and simple procedure can significantly reduce or eliminate the appearance of tooth discoloration, leaving patients with a brighter, more dazzling smile. Having the right oral hygiene routine can greatly reduce your risk of tooth staining and discoloration, but even those who follow a rigorous brushing and flossing regimen may experience some degree of yellowing or discoloration over time. This is especially true for those who smoke or consume foods and drinks that stain the teeth, such as coffee, red wine, berries and certain medications, such as tetracycline.
While a slightly visit our website yellow or dingy smile is completely natural, many people have an aesthetic desire to have whiter and brighter teeth. While regular dental cleaning can reduce or eliminate some surface stains, more serious discoloration often requires professional intervention to achieve the desired results. While there are a number of over-the-counter bleaching products available, these treatments only address the outer layers of the teeth and can produce limited results. Professional whitening is the most effective method for lightening the color of teeth, but there are a number of different procedures that your dentist may use depending on the type and severity of your discoloration.
During a professional whitening session, your dentist will first isolate the teeth from the gums using rubber dams to protect them from irritation. The teeth will then be coated with a gel substance that is high in hydrogen peroxide to bleach the tooth stains away. The whitening gel is left on the teeth for 30 to 60 minutes on average and may be reapplied several times if needed. The whitening treatment is usually completed by applying a fluoride treatment to help ease any teeth sensitivity that occurs as a result of the whitening process.
After the whitening session is complete, your mouth will be rinsed and the gel will be removed. Then your dentist will examine your mouth to make sure there are no underlying issues, such as severe decay, cracks or gum disease, that would preclude you from receiving the maximum benefits of the whitening procedure. If these issues are identified, your dentist will treat them and delay the whitening until they have been treated appropriately.
Despite the popularity of professional whitening, there is still a lot of confusion and misinformation about how the procedure works. The basic concept of how to effectively bleach the teeth, by using a peroxide compound and light, has changed very little over the years. The difference in the current whitening procedures is that dentists can use higher concentrations of peroxide and offer more individualized treatments to maximize their effectiveness. Some whitening treatments are accelerated by using a curing light or laser system, which increases the speed at which chemical reactions take place. This enables the whitening agent to work on deeper stains that are more difficult to lighten with OTC products alone.