How Teeth Whitening Can Enhance Your Smile
Do you have yellow or stained teeth? Discolored and stained teeth can affect your smile, which in turn lowers your self-confidence and esteem. However, you can get treatments such as teeth whitening to improve your smile. Some of the cause of teeth staining and discoloration are:
- Poor oral hygiene
- Smoking or using tobacco products
- Continued use of drugs, such as tetracycline
- Foods and drinks, such as coffee, red wine, and grape juice
If you have a special occasion like a wedding, a job interview, or a date to attend, you can get teeth whitening treatments to improve your smile.
Teeth Whitening Options You Can Consider
Depending on how severely your teeth are stained or discolored, your dentist can recommend in-office or at-home treatments. When getting teeth whitening in Salem, MA, the dentist will recommend in-office techniques if you have moderate or severe stains. For mild to moderate staining or discoloration, the dentist will recommend home-based teeth whitening.
In-Office Treatments
When you get in-office treatments, the dentist will use peroxide-based bleaching agents and other complementary techniques, such as lasers or heat. Deep bleaching utilizes hydrogen peroxide to remove superficial stains. During the teeth whitening procedure, the dentist will apply the peroxide bleach on your teeth and leave it for some time.
The other in-office teeth whitening treatment your dentist can recommend is zoom whitening. The laser-whitening technique utilizes 25% hydrogen peroxide to remove deep stains and takes up to 90 minutes.
During the Zoom teeth whitening procedure, the dentist will apply the bleach on the teeth and use a special light to facilitate the bleach’s penetration into the enamel to remove deep stains. The effects of in-office teeth whitening treatments are instant. Therefore, if you need results in a single session, you can consider in-office treatments.
However, your dentist might recommend two more treatments to achieve dramatic results. Alternatively, the dentist can give you a home-kit after the laser teeth whitening procedure.
At-Home Treatments
Unlike in-office teeth whitening treatments, home-based ones take longer to show dramatic results. Therefore, your dentist will only recommend the home treatments if you have mildly stained teeth.
Several home-treatments for mild or moderate teeth staining include:
- Whitening trays. Teeth whitening treatments resemble invisible aligners. When using whitening trays, the dentist requires you to wear them for some hours a day to ensure effective results. The dental trays contain gels with low concentrations of peroxide to whiten your teeth.
- All types of toothpaste can help remove stains on your teeth surfaces since they contain mild abrasives. However, your dentist can recommend particular toothpaste typeswith bleaching and polishing agents to whiten your teeth.
- Whitening strips. Teeth whitenings strips are thin and virtually coated strips covered with low concentrations of peroxide-based bleaching agents. When using whitening strips, you are likely to see the initial results after a few days and the final results after four months.
- Whitening gels. Teeth whitening gels are transparent bleaching agents that your dentist recommends applying on the teeth surfaces using a small toothbrush. Like whitening strips, gels will show the initial results after a few days and the dramatic results after four months.
If you need to see the results of a teeth whitening immediately, at-home treatments are not recommendable since some take months before showing the desirable effects.
Benefits of Professional Teeth Whitening
Below are some of the benefits of getting teeth whitening treatments at the dentist’s office:
- Thorough whitening to remove deep and severe stains
- It is speedy and reliable since you can achieve desirable results in a day
- Safe and provides more comfort
- Improve your smile, boosting your self-confidence
- Enhances your oral hygiene as you strive to maintain the results
Aftercare
Once you get teeth whitening treatments, you need to practice some aftercare tips since the results are not eternal. Therefore, you can consider the following:
- Avoid consuming staining foods and drinks, such as coffee and red wine during the first few days after teeth whitening
- Brush using fluoride toothpaste and floss your teeth regularly
- Regular dental cleanings and exams
- Do not smoke or use any tobacco products
If you need teeth whitening treatments in Salem, MA, you can visit our dentist at Mass Bay Dental.