Tooth Whitening

Brighter smiles have become a big part of our social consciousness over the last 10 years. For right or wrong, gleaming smiles have become a sign of youth, sophistication and vigor. A healthy, bright smile has become a key to successful first impressions, in both business and social settings. Fortunately, this particular type of physical change is one of the easiest to attain. Unlike expanding waistlines, hair loss and sagging faces - which are all a challenge to reverse - simple "smile make-overs" can be quick and affordable. It is true... you no longer have to have teeth that looks 20 years older than you do!

Whether you are 18 or 88, we have whitening methods that can really turn back the clock, giving you a youthful, impressively healthy smile.

Before you invest in whitening your teeth, the first order of business is to work with us to establish the source of your discoloration. You need to understand that there are two types of staining:

1. External Staining- from food, drink or tobacco

2. Internal Discoloration - due to serious illness or exposure to medicines like tetracycline before the age of 12.

We can resolve both types of staining, but if the discoloration comes from a source deep inside the teeth (internal discoloration), it may be much more difficult to whiten. Over-the-counter products like Crest White Strips^® will not work at all on Internal discoloration. In fact, even our best professional, in office, whitening systems are not very predictable with this deep discoloration. Very often, it is best treated with Porcelain Veneers. (See our website's info on Porcelain Veneers under the heading "cosmetic dentistry")

The good news is that  external staining   is the most common type of staining and it is very simple to resolve. We have fast and simple solutions to a brighter smile.

There are four basic methods for whitening teeth:

1. Over-the-Counter Whitening Strips or Gels - These products can be purchased at any drug store. Our patients who have tried them get variable results. About half say that they noticed some improvements in the shade of their teeth. Most feel that they would like better results. Crest White strips ^®are an example of this type of method. We have noticed that they work best for college age people with otherwise perfect teeth, no front fillings and very few staining habits. These products treat your teeth with a concentration of 3% hydrogen peroxide. This is a rather low concentration that is further diluted with your saliva.

2. Take-Home Whitening Gels with Custom Trays - These are prescription strength (11% - 15%) hydrogen peroxide gels that you put in custom made trays that fit over your teeth and your teeth only. Basically, this is a process by which we supply you with a custom made tray and a gel to put in the tray. Then every day, for 10 -14 days, you wear the gel filled trays for about an hour each day. In two weeks, for most people, there will be a wonderful improvement in the brightness of the smile. This is a product called Opalescence that reduces the staining molecules with a chemical reaction involving carbamide Peroxide. It is the first ADA accepted, dentist dispensed bleaching gel that is delivered to the tooth in a comfortable custom tray that fits snuggly over your teeth. This method of bleaching is one of the safest and simplest smile enhancing treatments in modern dentistry.  This is considered a semi-permanent change for most people, unless their habits constantly bathe the teeth in staining sources. Even at that, every 3 years may be the most often you would need to re-do the whitening process with our whitening systems. Some people may not need to revisit the process for 6, 8 or even 10 years. The cost for this whitening process is $169 for either the upper or lower arch of teeth. For both arches it is $290.

3. LUMINEERS^® No Prep Porcelain Veneers - The Cadillac of "smile make-over" methods, Lumineers^® are thin porcelain shells that are permanently bonded to the surface of each tooth. They can correct the color, shape and position of the teeth in the smile. We recommend these to patients whose teeth have a number of imperfections to cover or correct.

What exactly happens as the teeth “whiten”?

Over the years, the surface of the teeth may soak up large pigmented molecules from the foods we eat or drink, or the chemicals from any other oral habits such as smoking. These molecules are simply too big to allow light to reflect off the surface of the enamel. The molecules absorb light rather than reflect it, so our eyes register this lack of reflected light as a “dark tooth color”. 

Bleaching is simply a process wherein Hydrogen Peroxide breaks up these large molecules, chemically, into small molecules, which are then no longer in a light-absorbent state.

What if I have a single tooth that is very dark?

Single teeth that have darkened following trauma to that tooth may be successfully whitened with crowns or veneers, or a process called “internal bleaching". Internal bleaching requires that a root canal has been done. It is never a good idea to try to internally bleach a tooth that might have a vertical fracture through the root.

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The only way to know which method is best for your particular situation is to visit us for a consultation. We love cosmetic dentistry in our office. We have seen lives changed by some of our best smile "make-overs". Both men and women can benefit socially and professionally by the expanding methods in this area.

For more information on any of these 4 methods, please refer the upper left side menu on this page.

 What exactly happens as the teeth “whiten”?

Over the years, the surface of the teeth may soak up large pigmented molecules from the foods we eat or drink, or the chemicals from any other oral habits such as smoking. These molecules are simply too big to allow light to reflect off the surface of the enamel. The molecules absorb light rather than reflect it, so our eyes register this lack of reflected light as a “dark tooth color”. 

Bleaching is simply a process wherein Hydrogen Peroxide breaks up these large molecules, chemically, into small molecules, which are then no longer in a light-absorbent state.

 What method of tooth whitening do we recommend at Fiddlehead Dental?

In our office we offer 2 different methods of whitening:

1. Professional TAKE HOME GEL... 2. IN OFFICE WHITENING... The second type of whitening involves going to a dental office for a specific "salon" whitening. It amounts to a single visit, at a cost of $400 to $600, of about two hours.During that visit the dental staff will apply a whitening solution to your tooth that is activated by a very bright light. But the this procedure that may NOT have the results you want. In fact, the leading independent dental researcher, Dr. Gordon Christensen, has found that the procedure has little or no long-term effectiveness. It may also leave you with terribly painful teeth for several days.

We tried one of the leading brands of this "light-curing" whitening system. But 3 out of 3 of our volunteer patients didn't like the procedure and said that they had no permanent change in tooth color. So to be honest, we completely gave up on that technology and the special light is collecting dust in our office attic. Bottom-line: the best whitening system is the professional take home gel previously discussed.

Do “over the counter” bleaching methods work?

We have found through our patient’s comments (purely anecdotally) that methods such as the Crest White Strips^® work well for about half the folks who try them. Some patients (particularly college age kids) get results that they are very happy with and we notice an improvement ourselves at their visits to our office. They do report that the process was not rapid and they report having to purchase several, if not many applications of the strips to meet their expectations. This is probably owing to the fact that the strips contain peroxide a far lower percentage of reducing agent - 3% carbamide peroxide. This is obviously much less concentrated than our 10%-15% strength. Along with this drawback, the whitening strips allow your own saliva to dilute the solution rather rapidly. Our bleaching trays are made to hold the gel against your teeth with little leakage so the peroxide has contact with your tooth for a longer time, at a higher strength.

BE SKEPTICAL of claims for expensive toothpastes that propose to whitening teeth. They probably make no perceptible difference because the do not have an effective concentration or time in contact with your teeth.