With all of the teeth whitening treatment options available today, there are no more excuses to present yourself to the world with discolored, dull or yellowed teeth. At-home and in-office treatments will allow you to smile bright and show off those pearly whites in as little as one hour. Not all treatment options will provide the same results, so speak to a dental professional about the cause of your teeth’s discoloration and about the treatment plan that is right for you.
Over-the-Counter Whitening Products
There is an array of at-home teeth whitening products available today that can be easily purchased over-the-counter in your local pharmacy or neighborhood supermarket. You can choose from whitening toothpastes, gels, strips and rinses. Although all toothpastes aid in the removal of surface stains due to their mild abrasive properties, most whitening toothpastes, gels and strips contain peroxide to help lighten the color deeper in the tooth. You may not see a dramatic difference in the color of your teeth when using such toothpastes, however, as they are known to only provide results of approximately one shade lighter. Strips and gels will usually provide a slightly more noticeable result when used as directed, with initial results seen in just a few days and final results lasting for about four months.
Tooth whitening rinses are some of the newer products on the market and are easy to use while also providing fresher breath, but their effectiveness is sometimes questionable at best. Since the rinse is only used for one minute or so in the morning and the same at night, the whitening agent (in most cases hydrogen peroxide) doesn’t have much time to work and it may take up to three months to see any type of noticeable difference, if seen at all.
There are tray systems available for over-the-counter purchase but the trays aren’t custom made to fit your mouth. The trays are filled with whitening gel and fit over your teeth and can work faster than some of the other at-home options, but they commonly cause gum irritation due to poor fit. The trays will generally need to be worn a few hours each day for a period of a few weeks to a couple of months. If you are interested in using this method of teeth whitening, speak to your dentist about a custom-fit tray system.
At-Home Teeth Whitening Systems Provided by your Dentist
If you are looking for more dramatic results but prefer not to have a whitening procedure done in the dentist’s office, speak to your dentist about being fit for custom-made whitening trays that you can use at home. The bleaching agent used with the tray system is usually much stronger than over-the-counter gels and strips and can provide a more noticeable difference. Since a dental professional is not there to supervise the application, make sure you are following the directions provided in order to avoid irritation of the gums and surrounding tissue from overexposure to the active agent.
In-Office Teeth Whitening Treatments
Many general dental practices now offer in-office teeth whitening procedures. These procedures use advanced lasers in order to achieve the whitest smile in the least amount of time. Most laser systems can provide a dramatic difference in color in just one hour. When using laser teeth whitening systems, teeth are cleaned and prepped for treatment. A protective shield is first placed over the soft tissue to protect them from the effects of the whitening solution. A solution containing carbamide peroxide is then applied to each tooth and a laser light is applied to activate the whitening agent, which then bleaches the organic portion of the teeth. While whitening toothpastes can lighten the tooth’s color by only about one shade, in-office laser teeth whitening treatments can make your teeth three to eight shades lighter in a very short amount of time.
For more information about teeth whitening treatments, contact Park Dental Care in Queens at 718-274-1515.
