Whitening your teeth is one of the easiest ways to boost your self-confidence. It is a simple procedure that can help you look and feel years younger. Dr. Yount offers the take-home teeth whitening method. It is less expensive than in-office whitening procedures. It is accomplished on your schedule in the comfort of your own home. And it is just as effective.
The Teeth Whitening Procedure
We’ll start by making sure that your teeth are clean and healthy. We need to make sure there are no leaky fillings or hypersensitive teeth. We’ll then take impressions of your teeth to use in designing a set of trays that fit your teeth snugly. The fit is important to make sure that the whitening gel is in contact with all surfaces of your teeth.
Once the trays are ready, we’ll give them to you along with teeth bleaching gel. All you have to do is wear the trays with the gel for at least twenty minutes a day. The initial period is two weeks, but you can continue to use the gel and trays until your teeth are as radiantly white as you want them to be.
How Teeth Whitening Works
Over the course of your lifetime, coffee, tea, tobacco, and highly pigmented foods stain your teeth. The pigment that stays on the enamel is easily removed when you brush your teeth or have them cleaned. But the pigment also soaks into the enamel and is absorbed in the dentin.
The bleaching gel we give you contains a strong peroxide solution. When you wear your trays with the gel, it has time to soak into the dentin where it releases the oxygen that oxidizes the stains from the inside. The longer you use the gel, the whiter your teeth will become.
Professional vs. Over-the-Counter Whitening
If you have ever tried over-the-counter whitening toothpastes or trays, you may assume that your teeth are as white as they will ever get. The fact is that such toothpastes don’t have enough time to soak into your teeth. And the whitening solutions are designed to be used without a dentist’s supervision. Their peroxide solution has to be relatively weak to avoid safety concerns. Rest assured, the peroxide solution contained in our gel is strong enough to produce the dramatic results you see on this page.
Is Teeth Whitening Permanent?
Our whitening procedure oxidizes the stains you currently have in your teeth. They will never come back. And after you whiten your teeth, they will always be whiter than they would have been without the procedure. But new stains will accumulate. That’s another reason the take-home method is a good choice. You’ll keep your custom-fit trays, and any time you want a whitening touch up, we can provide you with more of the peroxide gel. Some patients do this once a year or more.
If you are ready to see how you look in a new, whiter smile, call our office or click here to fill out our request an appointment form.