How To Enhance Your Smile With a Dentist

There are several teeth whitening options available to brighten up your smile. Your dentist, for example, can use a tooth whitening system during an office visit. An in-office whitening treatment is effective, because the treatment can remove stubborn stains and discolorations. During the visit, the dentist paints tooth whitener on the teeth, allowing it to sit for several minutes. The dental hygienist removes and reapplies the medication in intervals until they reach the desired clarity. The hygienist measures the degree of whiteness with a color card. Some dental professionals use a lighting system as part of the whitening treatment. Proponents believe that the lights improve the effectiveness of the treatment.

After the professional whitens your teeth, you maintain the treatment at home. A customized mold of your teeth is created to make sure that medication penetrates each tooth. The tooth whitening medication is applied on the mold and fitted onto your teeth for a specific length of time. Patients use the kit every night for several weeks or several months. Consistent use of the kit over a long length of time yields the best results. The strength of the peroxide and other ingredients in the medication determines the length of time that the patient may safely apply the tooth mold.

You will find similar tooth whitening systems in grocery stores, discount stores, and drug stores. These systems, however, do not have customized molds to fit your teeth. The package can contain strips or generic tooth molds, which may or may not cover your teeth properly. Because they may not fit as well as the customized dental molds from the dentist office, the medication can be ineffective, not whitening all of your teeth. Most of the over-the-counter systems use peroxide as a teeth whitener. The at-home treatments, however, are convenient and can maintain whitening longer when used regularly.
Risks to using at-home products include tooth sensitivity, uneven whitening, or enamel damage. To reduce these risks, obtain a dental examination prior to using over-the-counter treatments, and ask your dental hygienist to recommend the best whitening product for you. Although the weaker at-home products take longer to work, the results can last longer. This is especially true because you can apply them more often than treatments in the dental office. Some patients use whitening strips, sold in the toothpaste aisle of most grocery stores, for quick touch-ups. These strips usually do not cover all of your teeth.
Most people choose the over-the-counter treatments, because they present a less expensive whitening option compared to treatments administered in a dental office. You can also be fitted for a dental mold and skip the in-office treatments, choosing instead to treat yourself at home. You will have the benefit of using a less expensive treatment than the kind that the hygienist administers, with the convenience of applying the whitener at home.

Dentist prescribed treatments are stronger than over-the-counter treatments, and the mold ensures that the medication remains in contact with all of the teeth for even whitening. Some treatments contain ingredients to protect and rebuild enamel and reduce sensitivity. Patients place the molds on their teeth once or twice a day as prescribed by the doctor.