What You Should Know About Teeth Whitening

A whopping 80 percent of Americans want whiter smiles.

But teeth stains are a common issue caused by the things we do every day, eating and drinking included. Even with regular brushing, it's hard to fix tooth discoloration and whiten your smile on your own.

What you can do is enlist professional help with a teeth whitening session from a dental professional. Before you do so, though, you have a few questions, and you want to learn more about the best teeth whitening practices.

Here's everything you need to know.

Teeth whitening works for more than just yellowed teeth.

There are two types of teeth stains that you could have: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic stains reside above the tooth enamel, while intrinsic ones settle in below it.

Extrinsic stains land on your teeth because of your lifestyle choices. So, let's say you smoke, drink coffee or eat staining foods , such as pasta sauce. Smoking can also change the color of your smile.

Meanwhile, intrinsic stains happen over time as you age. You might notice your teeth starting to yellow because your water supply has excess fluoride. Or maybe they've changed color because of mouthwash that includes cetylpyridinium chloride or chlorhexidine.

Teeth whitening can improve both extrinsic and intrinsic stains. In extreme cases, though, dentists might not be able to use this process to whiten teeth.

The team at Georgetown Family Dentistry can help you with your unique situation. And don't worry — there are still whitening options, though, such as veneers and other treatments.

At Georgetown Family Dentistry, you have multiple options when it comes to teeth whitening.

Zoom! Whitening

Firstly, you could be a candidate for Zoom! teeth whitening. This light-based treatment can brighten your smile by up to eight shades in a single session.

If you come in for Zoom! whitening, a member of our team will apply a gel to your teeth. The proprietary Zoom! light works in conjunction with the gel to break down tough stains during the 45-minute treatment.

Throughout the process — which will require three gel applications at 15-minute intervals — you get to relax. You can watch TV or listen to music while the Zoom! The process works its magic.

Take-Home Whitening Trays

We also offer our clients a take-home whitening system. This process begins with us taking a mold of your teeth. We use this to make the whitening trays so they fit securely to your smile.

During a second visit, we'll present you with the trays and detailed instructions on how to use them. You can choose to wear them for 30 minutes twice a day or pop them in overnight.

The treatment process will last longer depending on the depths of your stains. But it provides gradual, natural-looking whitening to your teeth.

And, once you get the results you seek, you can hold onto the trays and use them for routine touch-ups. Zoom! patients might also get some take-home trays to maintain their whiter smiles, too.

The professional teeth whitening cost varies from patient to patient, service to service.

However, most services range in price from $500 to $1,000. When considering dental teeth whitening costs, though, you have to remember that you get what you pay for. If you seek treatment from a trained professional, you'll get better and more long-lasting results than you would from over-the-counter remedies.

Typically, the take-home trays cost less than the Zoom! whitening and any other in-office treatments. Of course, the latter option is more of a luxury, as it brightens teeth in under an hour. If you want quick results, then, you'll have to pay more for it.

Teeth whitening cost isn't just a dollar amount — you might wonder if the process will cause damage to your oral health.

The short answer to this question is no. Professionally helmed teeth-whitening services won't hurt your teeth. It might make them temporarily sensitive, a side effect you can assuage with enamel-building toothpaste.

You're more likely to hurt your teeth and gums with an at-home whitening treatment. So, your best bet is to get the best teeth whitening treatments, which you'll get from the team at Georgetown Family Dentistry.

Just because you have dull or stained teeth doesn't mean you qualify for teeth whitening.

In general, you should meet the following qualifications before you can get Zoom! or at-home whitening trays:

• You do not have gum disease, tooth infection or decay
  
• You are willing to follow instructions to maintain your brightened smile
  

We'll also have to make sure that whitening can help your smile. Sometimes, the process can't help with intrinsic staining. In such cases, we'll discuss with you the alternative treatments that can brighten your smile.

For example, veneers can be used to brighten teeth with intrinsic stains. We can also use dental bonding, applying a resin to the teeth to improve their hue.

On that note, you might need to update any dental implants after you have teeth whitening. They match the current shade of your smile, but they won't once you have your natural teeth brightened. So, an implant swap could be in order to ensure that you have a uniformly white smile.

If you want teeth whitening and think you'd be a good candidate, your next step is to contact us today. We can inspect your smile to ensure Zoom! or at-home whitening would work for you. Then, we can schedule the next steps of your treatment — and get you on your way to that bright, white smile of your dreams.

On that note, there's so much to learn about teeth whitening and other dental treatments. Check out our blog for more information on what we do at Georgetown Family Dentistry.