Family Dentist Scottsdale

There are two types of professional Whitening:  in office one hour whitening, also known as ZOOM! and take home whitening kit.  

In office procedures are more costly of the two methods, but usually gives better results.  The advantage is that it only requires one visit.  Peroxide agents are applied to the teeth and a laser light is used to accelarate the whitening process.  This method can improve the smile 6-7 shades or more.  This process usually takes about one hour.  This gives immediate result to patients, but can cause some temporary (usually up to 24 hours) sensitivity. 

Take home bleaching trays are the alternative whitening method.  A dentist customizes whitening trays for the users, the user places a layer of peroxide base gel in the tray for 1-3 hours for 5-10 days.  For the convenient of the patient, most of these trays can be worn at night and removed in the morning.  Patients are advised to keep thier custom trays and just get the bleaching refills when necessary.  This is a gradual process which may take up to two weeks.  Patiens can generally improve by 4-5 shades.

Please keep in mind that whitening only works on natural teeth and will not bleach crowns, bridges,  fillings, veneers, or Lumineers.   

For more information please visit our website at saramosleydds.com

As you know in the past few years, the public has started paying more attention to their smile and aiming for whiter teeth.  As a result, tooth whitening has become a very popular procedure among men and women.  Many alternatives exists, from professional whitening to over the counter products. 

The least expensive whitening option is your over the counter products such as chewing gums and tooth pastes.  In general, these methods do not make any significant changes in your shade.  So, if it makes you feel better to just chew those gums that claim to whiten your teeth, go ahead and do it; but do not expect a bright Hollywood smile!

Also, the over the counter products such as whitening strips and paint products have very low concentration of peroxide base whiteners.  These products reduce staining and provide up to one or two shades of whitening.  So, if you are looking for very conservative changes and have a limited budget that would be an option.

Lastly, profesional whitening are available in two forms:  in office(one hour whitening) and the take home whitening kit.  For more information on any of these topics, please go to our web site at saramosleydds.com

Some of the tooth whitening products offered on television and internet usually have no solid research behind them and some of the products can damage the teeth and your soft tissue.