A very common cosmetic dental procedure is bleaching & tooth whitening. Millions of people have had their teeth whitened by bleaching or laser whitening, sometimes referred to as a dentist Zoom whitening. This has become a very common procedure, and for good reason.
For those with little or no other dental problems, bleaching to whiten the teeth is one of the most successful cosmetic procedures that can be done. The results can be spectacular.
However, bleaching the teeth is not without problems. Not all teeth bleach the same. Often we are asked what is the best teeth whitening method, the answer is it depends. Over the counter brands are not as strong as the prescription strength ones a good dentist can use. Not all teeth whiten the same. If your teeth are yellowy, they bleach , more easily. If they are gray, brown or blue, they are harder to bleach.
Virtually everyone can have natural tooth structure whitened. However, old fillings, porcelain, and old restorations do not whiten.
What happens when you whiten your teeth? You’re removing the extrinsic stains from a lifetime of food, dark liquids, candy, colas and wine. For smokers, the tars and nicotine leave dark brown and yellow stains that just won’t brush off. Bleaching actually opens up little teeny pores inside the crystalline structure of teeth and removes the pigments from it so the teeth look whiter.
Before and After Tooth Whitening Procedure
Virtually everyone with natural teeth, no matter how dark, can have their teeth whitened these days.
There are three types of bleaching. There is in-office power bleaching using dentist provided materials and technology. This one’s the most effective. The fees for this can range from 500 dollars on the low side up to 2,000 dollars or more for very darkly stained teeth caused by tetracycline staining. Most people are in the lower end of that range.
The second involves having custom trays made that you use overnight or during the day at home. This involves using a special teeth whitening gel. These cost somewhat less. But for many people, the inconvenience and additional time required make it less popular. This method can take weeks longer to be successful.
The third way involves using the over the counter products used for home teeth whitening. A few of these over the counter products can work pretty well in selected cases. However, many also have not been FDA approved and have only varying degrees of success. It can be very hard to get this method of teeth whitening correct. We get lots of people who tried to use these products on their own finally give up and come to us to get it done professionally.
To learn more about dentist tooth whitening, call 804-320-6800 and speak to one of our patient coordinators to schedule an appointment.
