Smile! Teeth whitening treatments offer a safe and effective solution to reversing years of everyday staining and teeth yellowing. With this procedure, you can experience an increase in self-confidence and self-esteem due to a renewed and more youthful smile.
What Causes Tooth Discoloration That Requires Teeth Whitening Treatments?
Many lifestyle factors contribute to the staining and transformation of your teeth from white to yellow. The two main types of stains that cause your teeth to discolor are known as extrinsic stains and intrinsic stains.
Extrinsic Tooth Stains
Extrinsic tooth stains range in the degree of discoloration. These stains are a result of the foods you consume frequently. Extrinsic tooth stains can be easy to remove with the teeth whitening treatments that we provide at Bella Dental.
The causes of extrinsic tooth stains include the consumption of:
- Cigarettes (smoking) and chewing tobacco
- Beverages like soda, red wine, coffee, and tea
- Sauces including soy sauce, curries, dark sauces, and tomato sauces
- Various foods such as chocolates, blueberries, cherries, beets, and pomegranates
Intrinsic Stains
Intrinsic tooth stains are a result of what occurs beneath your tooth’s surface enamel due to:
- Various genetic disorders
- Taking medications, like antibiotics
- Consuming water with too much fluoride
- Some dental materials, like silver fillings
How Can I Whiten My Teeth?
Even with regular flossing and brushing, your teeth can still be discolored to various degrees. Keeping your dentist appointments for regular teeth cleaning to remove oral plaque is definitely beneficial but your teeth might still remain a different shade.
We can help. Along with preventive dental measures to ensure a vibrant smile, there are safe, fast, and effective ways to whiten your teeth.
Two effective ways to whiten your teeth are the following:
- One of the most popular aesthetic procedures done today is the professionally administered (in-clinic) technique, also known as dental bleaching. Bella Dental performs professional teeth whitening using a wide range of techniques and application tools.
- Another common approach are at-home systems with custom-fitted trays, which patients use to apply professional-strength bleaching gel (for use at night or during the day).
A popular independent teeth whitening system we provide at the clinic is Philips Zoom, which has the ability to significantly whiten teeth on the same day. Dr. Cohen, DDS, our resident dentist, will use a special light on the teeth to trigger a chemical bleaching solution and induce whitening. You will see visible results immediately.
Depending on the procedure you decide to have when you visit our clinic, you can expect to see results within a few hours. Many of the common components of teeth whitening agents include bleaches like carbamide peroxide and hydrogen peroxide.
Once you and your dentist at Bella Dental decide on the type of treatment that works best for you, you can rest assured that we will provide you with quality care and reliable dental solutions.
As your dental care provider, we will create a customized treatment kit for you to take home, so you can continue the regimen and obtain optimal results faster. Take-home whitening kits have various strength formulas. We will adjust the bleaching process to ensure you experience as little tooth sensitivity as possible.
What Can I Expect From Teeth Whitening?
- Whitening treatments can be effective on both extrinsic and intrinsic staining.
- Only natural teeth can be whitened.
- Side effects include temporary tooth sensitivity and gingival inflammation.
- Depending on the teeth whitening treatment you select, results can be visible within a few hours.