Whitening
ADVANCED TOOTH WHITENING
If you've already given some thought to teeth whitening, you're not alone. According to a recent American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry poll, the most common improvement that respondents said they'd like to have is whiter, brighter teeth. In fact, professional tooth whitening has become the most often requested procedure in many dental practices around the country.
TOOTH WHITENING CONFUSION
There seems to be an endless supply of over-the-counter and infomercial products flooding the market. As well as many dental offices offering a myriad of tooth whitening choices, so which method is right for you?
Here is the simple fact: Real tooth whitening is achieved when the whitening gel releases oxygen into the tooth. The oxygen molecules break up the stain within the tooth. The effectiveness of any tooth whitening system depends on how stained your teeth are and how permeable your teeth are to oxygen. Oxygen absorption into the tooth is improved by repeated exposure to the whitening gel. The oxygen release is a slow process.
Tooth whitening is more dependent on how long the gel actually stays on the tooth, not how strong the gel is (the oxygen can only penetrate the tooth so fast -- law of diffusion). A catalyst can make this process more effective, but lights are not as effective.
Here at e.s.i. Healthy Dentistry we offer 3 very effective tooth whitening techniques:
NATURAL WHITE
CUSTOM TRAYS: This method utilizes soft clear rubber trays that have been specifically made to create a seal around the gums and reservoirs for the gel. The trays are worn overnight (remember contact time is very important) for 2 weeks using a low-sensitivity, low-concentration peroxide gel. This is the most effective way to use tooth-whitening trays. About 90% of our patients choose this method and are very happy with the results. This method is also very cost effective.
SEMI-CUSTOM TRAYS: Recently we introduced a semi-custom professional strength tooth whitening. This innovative product is perfect for people who have an event in 1-2 weeks and want to start whitening their teeth immediately. Less than 1/2 the price of custom whitening trays this effective product will whiten your smile in 10 days using 15 minute sessions.
NATURAL WHITE MAX
If you are not happy with the results after using one tooth whitening kit, you simply purchase additional gel for 2 more weeks of tooth whitening. We have found that after 2 kits or about 1 month of at home tooth whitening, additional tooth whitening with the gel will not significantly improve results. If you are still not happy with your results, we offer in office EPIC Laser tooth Whitening.
LASER TOOTH WHITENING
There is only one true laser tooth whitening approach: EPIC Laser Tooth Whitening. The proprietary tooth whitening gel contains laser sensitive molecules that help to initiate the whitening gel to better whiten your teeth. Epic Laser tooth whitening is more effective when the teeth conditioned by at home whitening gels for about a month.
Advantages of EPIC Laser tooth whitening include shorter chair time- about 45 minutes with virtually no tooth sensitivity during or after the procedure. The EPIC laser actually reduces inflammation in the tooth and helps with healing, making it the ideal tool for in office tooth whitening procedures.
For the very insistent patients, who absolutely refuse to wear tooth-whitening trays, we do offer in-office power whitening as a stand alone procedure. We use EPIC Laser tooth whitening in our office. Due to the unpredictable nature of this whitening method, patients may need to have additional in office treatments to achieve desired results. (Remember we have no idea how permeable your teeth are to Oxygen and there is no way to test it at this time.)
TOOTH SENSITIVITY
We only use gels that have the least tooth sensitivity associated with them. And if by some chance sensitivity does occur we provide you with specific desensitizing gel and tooth pastes with every whitening procedure. Tooth sensitivity is only temporary and generally does not last for more than 3 days, if it does occur.