The Professional Teeth Whitening Experience

If stained teeth are spoiling your smile, the professional teeth whitening experience offers many advantages over DIY treatments with teeth bleaching merchandise. Whitening by a dental professional is safer, more comfortable, and achieves better, longer-lasting results faster.

In enhancing appearance, professional teeth whitening also boosts confidence by eliminating the embarrassment of revealing discolored teeth when you smile, laugh, or eat. Although the most expensive teeth whitening choice initially, professional teeth whitening can work out more cost-effective in the long term, compared with buying multiple whitening products that may take months to achieve inferior results.

Types of Professional Teeth Whitening

There are two types of professional teeth whitening – in the dental office or with prescription whitening trays to use at home. Both methods work more quickly and produce longer-lasting results than over-the-counter whitening trays.

In-Office Teeth Whitening

Teeth whitening in the dental office achieves results that last for months, with teeth up to eight shades brighter. The chairside procedure typically takes 90 minutes or less. In-office whitening is closely monitored to protect your mouth. Your prosthodontist can adjust the concentration and levels of bleaching agent and ensure your gums and other parts of your mouth are protected. They may also have ultraviolet (UV) lighting systems to intensify whitening.

Professional Teeth Whitening at Home

Prosthodontists provide custom teeth whitening trays after taking an impression of your mouth. The resulting precise fit ensures the whitening agent stays in contact with your teeth. At home, you fill each tray with the whitening gel provided by your prosthodontist and wear the trays for about an hour a day for 10 days to two weeks.

Pros and Cons of Chairside Teeth Whitening Vs. Professional Whitening Trays

In-office teeth whitening produces the best results but it’s also the most expensive teeth whitening option, largely because of the demands on the prosthodontist’s time. Take-home whitening trays from a prosthodontist are more affordable and work better than store-bought teeth bleaching kits. At-home professional whitening trays also offer a more convenient teeth whitening experience. You can whiten your teeth around your own schedule, in the comfort of your home.

The Professional Teeth Whitening Experience Vs. Over-the-Counter Whitening Products

Teeth whitening by prosthodontists is faster than drugstore bleaching kits and produces a better outcome because it works on both the enamel and dentin layers of teeth. And treatment is customized to your individual goals to give you the level of brightness you’re looking for, in the areas you want it most.

Store-bought teeth whitening trays are mass-produced, one-size-fits-all products. This can result in a poor fit, with bleaching agent damaging the gums and tongue. Whitening trays from a prosthodontist will fit precisely – designed from molds of your teeth – and, like chairside whitening, use a more powerful bleaching gel than over-the-counter whitening trays. Prosthodontist-supervised use of teeth whitening trays is recommended by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) as a safe whitening option.

Why Teeth Become Stained or Discolored

It can be difficult to keep your teeth white and maintain an awesome smile, even with a good routine of brushing and flossing.

Teeth can become discolored or stained by:

• Foods such as curries, tomato-based sauces, beetroots and berries.
• Drinks like coffee, tea, colas, red wine, and dark-colored fruit juices.
• Tar and nicotine in tobacco products.
• Dental injury.
• Teeth taking on a yellow appearance as we get older.
• Some medical conditions and medications.
• Genetics.

Extrinsic Staining and Intrinsic Staining

Teeth staining can be extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic staining happens through external factors that directly discolor tooth enamel, including drinks containing tannins. Intrinsic stains occur when particles work their way beneath the surface of a tooth. These stains are harder to remove than extrinsic staining.

Intrinsic staining also happens as part of the aging process as dental enamel becomes thinner, exposing more of the dentin layer, which darkens over time. Professional teeth whitening removes stains from enamel and changes the color of the underlying dentin.

Oral Health Benefits of Professional Teeth Whitening

Unlike teeth whitening with store-bought products, getting professional chairside whitening or professional whitening trays benefits your oral health. Ahead of the whitening process, your prosthodontist will examine your teeth and gums. Dental exams play a crucial role in preventive dentistry. If any problems are detected – such as tooth decay or gum inflammation – your prosthodontist will advise you on procedures to treat these issues first.

You’ll also get a professional teeth cleaning before whitening treatment starts. This will be critical for whitening if tartar has accumulated on your teeth. Tartar – calcified plaque – makes teeth look brown or yellowish and can only be removed by a dental professional using special tools.

Psychological Benefits of Professional Teeth Whitening

Besides improving oral health, professional teeth whitening can produce psychological benefits by increasing your self-confidence across all walks of life. People with stained or yellow teeth tend to have tight-lipped smiles, which may mistakenly be regarded as a sign of detachment or aloofness in work interactions and social circles. Professional teeth whitening allows you to reveal your new sparkling smile with confidence. And the more you smile, the better you feel about yourself in general.

Professional Teeth Whitening as Part of a Total Smile Makeover

Teeth whitening by prosthodontists can be combined with other cosmetic dental options to achieve a complete smile remodel. These procedures include:

• Dental veneers – customized wafer-thin shells that are bonded onto the front of teeth to hide dental imperfections such as chipping and stains.
• Dental implants – the cutting-edge method of replacing missing teeth.
• Dental crowns – caps that encase an entire tooth to improve functionality and appearance.
• Dental bridges – artificial teeth fused to a frame and used to bridge the gap left my missing teeth.

Professional Teeth Whitening in Plymouth and Minneapolis

As well as replacing and restoring damaged teeth, Metropolitan Prosthodontics in Plymouth also provides professional teeth whitening for Minneapolis residents. We focus our whitening treatments on custom-made whitening trays for use at home, because that’s what our patients say they prefer – often as a starting point for a total smile redesign.

Benefits of our Plymouth teeth whitening treatments include:

• Professional strength whitening gel.
• Customized whitening trays for a perfect, comfortable fit.
• Treatment supervised by teeth whitening experts.
• Fast, significant and reliable results.
• Teeth several shades lighter.
• Removal of both extrinsic staining and intrinsic staining.

Contact us to request an appointment and find out more about the benefits of our Plymouth teeth whitening treatment.