Coffee, tea, red wine and berries – these are just some of the things that can make your pearly whites not so pearly! But unless you want to give them up completely (and who would want to do that?!) your smile may suffer for it. Thankfully we live in a day and age where whitening treatments are easy and affordable. But what is the difference between the various whitening options? In this blog, your cosmetic dentist in Coral Springs will explain how each one works and what you can expect. With this information, you’ll be able to make an informed decision about the best way to achieve a beautiful, white smile that can take years off of your appearance.
What Are the Benefits of Professional Treatments?
Although there’s certainly a multitude of over-the-counter whitening options available there are significant benefits to having it done professionally.
First, the strength of professional whitening solutions is much stronger than anything you could buy at the store so your results will be faster and better overall.
Having a professional treatment also means that you can be evaluated beforehand. There are some cases where your teeth may not respond well to whitening treatments, such as staining from certain antibiotics in childhood.
If you fall into this category your dentist will be able to recommend more effective treatments, such as porcelain veneers, that will save you from trying something that doesn’t work well the first time.
What Is the Difference Between In-office and Take-Home Whitening?
Whether you decide to have your teeth whitened in the office or at home your end result will be fairly similar. The major difference is that an in-office treatment is much faster and more dramatic.
In fact, you can whiten up to 10 shades in one appointment. This is a perfect way to get the results you’re after right before a big event.
Of course, the type of whitening you choose is up to you and depends on your specific goals. Here’s what you could expect from each procedure:
In-office:
- First, we’ll make sure you’re comfortable and in a reclined position.
- Next, we’ll protect the soft tissues in your mouth such as your lips, gums and cheeks before applying the whitening solution to your teeth.
- A special light is applied for about an hour to accelerate the effects of the solution.
- When you’re done you’ll be given instructions for how to maintain your bright new smile at home and will leave with your final result.
Take-home:
- This option requires two visits. At the first we’ll take molds of your teeth so we can make thin, custom-made plastic trays.
- You’ll return to pick up your trays along with a whitening gel and instructions for how to wear them.
- Typically it takes about two weeks of wearing the trays for anywhere from 1-4 hours to get the final result.
Regardless of which option you choose try to avoid anything that can stain the teeth for the first 1-2 weeks, as your teeth will be especially prone to picking up pigments from food and beverages.
About the Author
Each of the dentists at Coral Springs Dentistry get immense professional satisfaction from helping their patients achieve their cosmetic goals. They always take the time to explain your options so you can get the results you’re looking for. If you would like to know more about the whitening process you can contact them via their website or at (954) 341-0500.