Professional teeth whitening treatments are one of the most effective ways to drastically improve the way your teeth look. These treatments use bleaching agents like hydrogen peroxide and hydrogen carbamide to bleach stains and discoloration away from teeth.
A single whitening treatment performed by a dentist can improve the color of a person’s teeth by up to eight shades. For many people, this is enough to make their teeth as white as they want them to be, but some do need additional treatments to reach the desired color of white.
Teeth are constantly being bombarded with all sorts of things that can leave them discolored like the tannins in beverages like coffee. Teeth whitening treatments can be used to restore the color of a patient’s teeth to their original white color and they can even be used to make teeth whiter than they have ever been.
Types of stains that whitening treatments can be used to get rid of include stains caused by foods and beverages, tobacco stains, and stains caused by aging. The two main types of teeth whitening treatments dentists perform are in-office whitening treatments and at-home whitening kits.
These treatments often involve using a customized mouth tray to apply the bleaching agent to the patient’s teeth. The tray is made in a dental lab from an impression of the patient’s teeth. It prevents the whitening product from making contact with gum tissues during the treatment, potentially causing irritation and inflammation. Dentists often recommend teeth cleaning before whitening teeth for more even results.
The dentist will also examine the patient’s teeth before the treatment looking for issues like tooth decay and gum disease. Whitening products weaken enamel, but healthy teeth are able to re-mineralize themselves. However, when a patient’s teeth have already been damaged by decay, bleaching agents can cause permanent damage to the tooth’s structure.
The treatment starts with the dentist pouring the bleaching solution into the mouth tray and inserting it in the patient’s mouth. The patient keeps it in their mouth for up to 90 minutes before the tray is removed. Their mouth is thoroughly rinsed to get rid of the bleaching agent and a fluoride treatment can be used to re-mineralize the patient’s teeth. A laser can be used to speed up the whitening process, reducing how long the patient has to spend with the whitening product on their teeth.
These are whitening kits provided by dentists. The products used are not as powerful as those used for in-office whitening, but they are more powerful than the whitening products sold at grocery stores. These kits typically come with customized mouth trays for safe application of the product. At-home whitening kits take up to two weeks to get the same results as in-office whitening products, but the products used are gentler on the patient’s teeth.
Have stained and discolored teeth? Call or visit our Normal clinic to set up an appointment with our dentist.
Request an appointment here: https://voguedental.com or call Vogue Dental at (309) 449-8888 for an appointment in our Normal office.
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