Professional Teeth Whitening
If you’re like the majority of our patients, you probably want a brighter smile. Lucky for you, at the Allentown dental office of Eric J. Marsh and Michele A. Pisano-Marsh, we offer effective, professional teeth whitening solutions. Unlike store bought teeth whitening products you’ve likely seen at your local pharmacy, a professional at-home teeth whitening kit will deliver predictable results in just a few weeks of daily care. If you’re ready to brighten your smile, contact our Allentown dentistry team to schedule your cosmetic dentistry consultation today.
What Causes Tooth Staining?
There are numerous causes of dental staining, and understanding what lead to the dental discoloration is key to providing effective teeth whitening services that deliver the results you’re looking for. Some of the most common reasons patients experience tooth staining include:
- Poor oral hygiene leading to plaque and tartar buildup
- Consuming dark foods or drinks – if they stain white clothes they will stain your teeth
- Thinning tooth enamel revealing the yellow dentin layer of teeth
- Over consumption of fluoride leads to a condition known as fluorosis that causes bright white spots on teeth
- Taking tetracycline medications before the age of three leads to dark stains on permanent and primary teeth that are still developing
How Do Take-Home Teeth Whitening Kits Work?
Store bought teeth whitening products fill shelf after shelf at your local pharmacy, but they do not provide the fabulous results they promise. In fact, most patients who try these teeth whitening strips, gels, pastes, and mouth rinses, don’t see any improvement at all after weeks of treatment. Professional take-home teeth whitening kits offer superior results because they are created specifically for you. After examining your smile and determining the main causes of your dental discoloration, we will make a personalized recommendation for your teeth whitening plan. Each take-home whitening kit includes a custom set of application trays. These applicators fit snuggly against teeth. That means the whitening gel is sealed onto teeth where it belongs, and saliva can’t access and neutralize the active teeth whitening agent. Over the counter whiteners use a very low dosage of active whiteners in order to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use without prescription. Custom take-home kits from our Allentown cosmetic dentist use professional grade, customized doses of whitening gel to ensure you achieve the desired teeth whitening results, typically about ten shades brighter after two weeks of applications.
How Long will my Results Last?
Your teeth whitening results will last longer if you avoid staining foods and drinks and take good care of your smile at home and by keeping regular dental appointments. With proper care, your smile should stay pearly white for a year or longer. You can also use your custom application trays to apply teeth whitening gel once or twice a year to touch up your teeth whitening results. Consider a “whitening weekend.” Apply touchup whitening applications for two or three days a few times each year. If you are a coffee or red wine drinker, you may need to touchup your teeth whitening results more often.