In a world filled with whitening toothpastes and drugstore whitening kits, it’s important to know that the most effective teeth whitening treatment still comes from your dentist. Not only do dentists have more powerful tools at our disposal, we are also experts on your smile, and can tell you whether teeth whitening is right for you and what kind of results to expect.

To understand how to whiten teeth as effectively as possible, let’s start with a little science.

If you look at teeth under a microscope, you can see that the hard outer layer, called enamel, is made up of a tightly packed crystal structure called rods. While this layer seems solid and smooth to the naked eye, it’s possible for the molecules that cause stains to get deep into the enamel by seeping between the rods. In order to remove stains, dentists use a chemical that can get down to where the stains are and break up them up using a chemical reaction.

The chemicals used in professional teeth whitening are hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide (which breaks down into hydrogen peroxide in your mouth, so hydrogen peroxide is still the active ingredient). Hydrogen peroxide penetrates the teeth and causes a reaction called oxidation, which breaks down the stain compounds.

By the way, whitening toothpastes work by removing surface stains on teeth, not the ones under the surface. They do this by being more abrasive than other toothpastes, which is why your dentist may discourage you from using whitening toothpastes if you have complained of tooth sensitivity. More than anything, toothpastes are good for preventing stains, not removing them!

At-home teeth whitening products from the drugstore also contain carbamide or hydrogen peroxide, but in much lower concentrations. They also contain other ingredients for flavor and to help reduce the possibility of tooth sensitivity. While drugstore kits are much cheaper, because the bleaching agents in these kits are less potent, you can expect to see results in weeks as opposed to days (with a home kit from your dentist) or minutes (when you get your teeth bleached at the dentist).

Another reason that it’s a good idea to go to you dentist for whitening treatments is they can evaluate whether your teeth should even undergo whitening to begin with. Some people don’t realize that whitening only works on natural teeth. Fillings and crowns are made of artificial materials that look like teeth, and feel like teeth, but chemically speaking, they’re very different. Most restorations are made from ceramic, porcelain, or composite resin. These materials do not react the same way to bleaching chemicals as your natural tooth enamel does. If you have large fillings or crowns, a dentist can recommend alternatives to bleaching for improving the appearance of your smile.

The professional teeth whitening process starts with a consultation with your dentist. Not everyone is a good candidate for teeth whitening, which is why you want to talk to a dentist before you have it done. If you have large fillings or crowns (caps) on your front teeth, teeth bleaching is not a good idea. The chemicals will bleach your natural teeth but not your dental restorations (which are made from ceramic, porcelain or composite material), resulting in your teeth being different colors.

Teeth whitening is most effective on yellow discoloration, and can be less effective on brown or gray discolored teeth, especially when the discoloration is the result of exposure to tetracycline antibiotics while teeth are still developing (before age 8).

Next comes the actual whitening appointment. Once you’re comfortable in the chair, the dentist will insert a lip retractor into your mouth, which is just a plastic guide that moves your lips out of the way so your teeth are easy to access.
The dentist will then cover your gums around your front teeth with a gel and then harden it with a high-powered light. This is called a gingival barrier, and it protects your gums from the teeth bleaching chemicals during the whitening process. The dentist may also apply a compound to your teeth that will help prevent tooth sensitivity.

The actual whitening process involves the dentist applying a gel made of 15% to 35% hydrogen peroxide to your front teeth. Hydrogen peroxide can penetrate the porous outer layer of your teeth and break apart stain compounds using a chemical reaction called oxidation. Depending on the whitening system being used, the application of the whitening gel may be followed by applying a high-powered light that speeds up the whitening process.

Most systems involve multiple applications of the gel throughout the whitening session. The dentist will rinse off the gel and reapply a fresh coat as many times as necessary within the space of about 40 minutes. Once complete, the whitening procedure can achieve four to six shades of whitening after only one session. Some patients experience tooth or gum sensitivity after whitening, but this usually goes away within a day or two.

While the effects of teeth whitening can last quite a while (months to years), depending on diet and other habits (like smoking!), the stains on teeth will eventually return. Some dentists may recommend maintaining a freshly whitened smile with a professional home whitening kit. These kits include custom made trays to fit your teeth and tubes of whitening gel that has a lower concentration of bleaching agents than the in-office variety. The patient lines the trays with the gel and wears them for a few hours at a time each day or while sleeping.

When it comes to teeth whitening, you get what you pay for. While over-the-counter kits from the drugstore are cheap and offer the convenience of at-home bleaching without a visit to the dentist, they are slower and less effective than professional whitenings. And of course, without the supervision of a dentist, you don’t have the guidance you need to get the best results. If you want truly Hollywood-white teeth, invest in a professional teeth whitening administered by your dentist.

Teeth whitening is one of the quickest & least invasive ways to make a huge difference in the appearance of your smile. Most dentists offer either in-office teeth whitening, take-home teeth whitening kits, or both. The effectiveness of these whitening methods varies slightly, but the way they work is generally the same.

While many people refer to teeth whitening as bleaching, it’s important to know that the dentist doesn’t use the same chemical to whiten your teeth that you use to whiten your laundry! Laundry bleach is a chemical called sodium hypochlorite that smells like chlorine, & it can be poisonous if ingested, so we don’t want it anywhere near your mouth! For teeth bleaching, two chemicals are commonly used: hydrogen peroxide & carbamide peroxide.

Even though the hard outer surface of your teeth, called enamel, seems solid, on a microscopic level, it is actually porous. Stains & discoloration on your teeth appear when compounds from the foods you eat (or from smoking) penetrate this porous enamel layer & accumulate there. Teeth bleaching works when hydrogen peroxide creates a chemical reaction that breaks apart the staining compounds.

During an in-office teeth cleaning, the dentist will first clean your teeth then apply a gel that contains 10 to 35 percent hydrogen peroxide. Sometimes a high powered light is then used to help speed up the chemical reaction. After leaving it on for several minutes, the dentist will remove the bleaching gel, then re-apply it. The entire whitening procedure usually takes about 45 minutes to an hour.

For at-home teeth bleaching, your dentist will take an impression of your teeth & creates soft dental trays. These trays are then filled with a thin layer of gel that contains 10 to 20 percent carbamide peroxide. (Carbamide peroxide breaks down into hydrogen peroxide & urea in the mouth, so the active bleaching agent in at-home kits is still hydrogen peroxide.) At-home bleaching trays are worn for a few hours during the day or while sleeping. Because they are less powerful, at-home systems take longer to achieve the same whitening effects as in-office systems.

Teeth bleaching is not a good solution for everyone. Because teeth bleaching is designed to treat stains on natural tooth enamel, patients who have tooth colored restorations (i.e. fillings or crowns) or veneers should not get their teeth whitened. Whitening compounds do not work on the ceramic or porcelain composites these restorations are made from, so the result is that teeth color may become mismatched. Teeth bleaching will also not work well on tooth discoloration that is the result of changes inside the tooth, below the enamel, such as grayish teeth caused by certain medications. For this reason, we always recommend that teeth whitening, whether at home or in-office, be performed under the supervision of your dentist.

Have you ever looked at a celebrity smile & wished your smile could be equally perfect. Well, it’s no big secret among dentists that most Hollywood stars were not born with perfect teeth. For many celebrities, their Hollywood smiles are achieved with the help of cosmetic dentistry, particularly porcelain veneers.

Porcelain veneers are a great option if you want to improve the appearance of your smile efficiently & affordably. Compared to other cosmetic dentistry procedures, such as dental implants, crowns or even orthodontic braces, veneers are less invasive & often less expensive. Because veneers are less complex than these other options, they are also one of the easiest options for a smile makeover.

Veneers can be used to repair & beautify cracked or stained teeth, lengthen short teeth & fix gaps between teeth. Veneers are shells made of tooth-colored porcelain that fit over the front of your teeth. They are most commonly used on the front teeth of the upper jaw, which tend to show the most when someone smiles, laughs or speaks.

The entire veneers procedure usually involves several visits. The first visit usually involves a discussion with your dentist about the goals for the design of your new smile. At this visit the dentist may also take an impression (i.e. a mold) & x-rays of your teeth.

At the second appointment, the dentist will prepare your teeth for veneers. The dentist will remove a small amount of the enamel on the surface of each tooth that is going to be covered. This helps the veneers fit properly & securely, however it also means that the veneers procedure is irreversible. The resulting transformation of your smile is well worth it! In the meantime before your next appointment, the dentist may attach temporary veneers to protect your teeth & make them look better.

The veneers are then created by a dental lab technician, based on a model of your smile made from the mold. The color of porcelain veneers is carefully selected to look natural with your existing teeth, though of course they may be whiter in order to improve the appearance of your smile. Porcelain is a great material for veneers because it is durable & its texture is very similar to that of teeth, including how it absorbs & reflects light.

At your last appointment, the dentist will ensure your veneers are ready to fit your teeth, trimming them or making color adjustments as necessary. Veneers are affixed to your teeth using a special dental cement, the color of which can be adjusted to help make sure your veneers look natural. Once the veneer is in place over your tooth, the dentist uses a special light to harden the cement, so it bonds your veneer to your tooth very quickly.

You should care for veneers just as you would care for your natural teeth, by brushing, flossing & visiting the dentist regularly for teeth cleanings. Though porcelain is stain resistant, it’s still a good idea to avoid foods that could stain your teeth, such as coffee, tea, or red wine, as this will help make sure your natural teeth continue to match your veneers.

The color of their teeth is one of the top things people say they would like to change about their smile. Thankfully, teeth whitening is fairly simple treatment, but there are so many options for teeth whitening you may find yourself with a few questions. We think the most common and the most important question we hear is this: Why should I have my dentist whiten my teeth instead of using those drugstore whitening kits?

Dentists have access to better, more effective teeth whitening technologies. Strips and gels from the drugstore can make a difference, but the whitening agents they contain aren’t as strong as the ones at the dental office. Stronger solutions can and should only be used under the supervision of a dentist, which is why you’ll have to come to us if you want access to more effective whitening solutions.

Drugstore kits usually require you to apply them over the course of several days or weeks to see a difference, but a dentist can whiten your teeth in the course of a single visit. This is because dentists can use special technologies, such as special lights that accelerate the whitening process.

With in-office whitening, you can also choose the shade you want you teeth to be whitened to and your dentist will use their experience and expertise to get as close to that shade as possible. With drugstore tooth whitening kits, the shade you’ll end up with is anyone’s guess.

Perhaps the most important reason to have your dentist whiten your teeth actually has to your oral health and comfort. Teeth whitening is not recommended for people with gum disease or worn enamel. Also, some whitening agents are known to cause irritation or sensitivity in the teeth and gums. Your dentist can help prevent this from happening and can help you if any irritation and sensitivity does occur.

In-office professional teeth whitening is more expensive than at-home options, but what you get for your money is better technology, dentist supervisions and usually better results.

Interested in whitening but still haven’t decided to do it? Consider scheduling your whitening before a special event, especially one at which you know you might be photographed a lot, such as the holidays, graduation, or a wedding. Teeth whitening is a common cosmetic procedure for brides-to-be. Who wants a white dress with a yellow smile? But be sure to leave a few weeks between your teeth whitening and your wedding just in case you experience some of the side effects mentioned above.