Teeth Whitening
A smile is one of the most basic gestures we can make, but it can also be one of the most effective. A bright smile is thought to represent friendliness, sincerity, satisfaction, and good health.
An engaging smile will help you stand out in social settings, attract a girlfriend, and make you more optimistic and outgoing. We are often bombarded with images of celebrities with huge smiles, which sadly causes many people to be self-conscious about their own smile.
For a varying reasons, the enamel that covers the teeth may become stained with time. The solution is teeth whitening, which is known to be one of the simplest and most cost-effective methods of improving the appearance of your smile.
In addition to providing smile makeovers to residents of Long Beach and the surrounding areas, we also provide the following cosmetic dentistry services in Long Beach: Invisalign, Veneers, Smile Makeover, Bonding, Gum Sculpting, and Orthodontics.
Since your infant/first set of teeth are nearly invariably whiter than their adult equivalents, white teeth are universally thought to be more youthful.
Adult teeth may become stained or discolored over time for a variety of reasons, including:
- Smoking – one of the biggest contributors to yellowed teeth!
- The use of antibiotics as a child/teenager
- Exposure to high levels of fluoride
- Food or drinks that contain tannins such as oranges,
carrots, red wine, and coffee - Trauma to the tooth
- Decay
- Damage to nerve or blood vessels inside the root canal
- Genetics – the thickness of the enamel covering your teeth is usually determined by genetics. Thinner enamel can often show the color of the dentin beneath it, giving the tooth a darker appearance.
- Aging – our teeth naturally darken as we get older
There are hundreds of products on the market that appear to be able to whiten your teeth without requiring you to visit the dentist. However, over-the-counter goods cannot have the same level of whitening as professional-grade therapies provided by us.
Not only are the outcomes typically lackluster, but they often diminish faster and necessitate different therapies. We suggest that you get the initial operation done by one of our teeth whitening specialists.
Teeth whitening is a painless procedure, but it can take many dentists to obtain the desired color results. At your appointment, we will photograph your teeth and include a baseline for contrast, allowing us to track your procedure’s success accurately. We will also do a detailed inspection to confirm that no further care is needed before the whitening process and ask you a series of questions to determine the source of the discoloration.
Following that, we will thoroughly brush your teeth and eliminate any residue or infection that can hinder the whitening procedure from functioning correctly.
After that, the whitening process will start.
We perform two types of teeth whitening procedures.
VITAL WHITENING
The most popular form of teeth whitening is essential whitening, which is done on teeth with active nerves and entails whitening the tooth only on the outside.
The whitening solution is typically a cream that incorporates hydrogen peroxide, which is added directly to the tooth’s surface.
Your dentist will then focus a specific laser or light on the teeth, causing a chemical reaction that initiates the bleaching process.
A critical whitening session could last between 30 and 90 minutes.
NON-VITAL WHITENING
Non-vital whitening is most commonly used in teeth stained from the inside out, usually due to damage to the interior nerves.
In non-vital whitening, your dentist will place the whitening agent inside the tooth and cover it with a temporary filling. Again, you may require multiple treatments to achieve the extent of whitening that you desire.
RISKS OF TEETH WHITENING
Teeth whitening is a very healthy procedure with little risks of adverse side effects. However, you may note that your gums and teeth are more sensitive for a brief period of time following the operation.
LONGEVITY OF RESULTS
Sadly, teeth whitening is not a one-time process, although the rate at which the whiteness fades depends on a variety of variables, including if you smoke or not and how many stain-causing foods and liquids you eat. If you practice these habits daily, you will see the whiteness starting to disappear as soon as six weeks after the operation. However, if you stop stain-causing habits and follow a strict dental hygiene regimen, you do not need another teeth whitening operation for six to twelve months following your initial treatment.
