Whitening

To help prevent tooth sensitivity, place a very small amount of the desensitizing gel that we have provided into each respective tooth space of your custom tray. Insert the tray and wear it for 15 minutes. Remove the tray, rinse it off and rinse out your mouth. Dispense the whitening gel into the tray and insert it back into your mouth.

Fluoride and Tetracycline Stains

Fluoride (fluorosis) and tetracycline stains are extremely resistant to conventional, at-home whitening. The reason is that both fluoride and the tetracycline family of antibiotics bind strongly to, and become part of, the mineral content of enamel, dentin and bones. This occurs when a person either ingests very high levels of fluoride at a young age while the teeth are still developing, or when they take an antibiotic within the tetracycline family during this same time.

As patients age, debris accumulates within the microstructure of teeth, eventually becoming so tightly packed within this microstructure that even the strongest bleaching material is unable to penetrate and whiten the teeth.

Why we do not offer single-visit in-office power bleaching (e.g., Zoom Whitening)

The process of bleaching is capable of removing significant portions of debris built up within tooth structure; however, it is a time-consuming process. Though high in peroxide concentration and thus bleaching strength, single-visit in-office power bleaching, with 15 – 45 minutes of contact time, does not provide adequate time for removal of debris. Regardless of the brand or strength of the bleaching material, if it is unable to penetrate the microstructure of teeth, very little long-term whitening will be accomplished.

The improvement in shade that is seen immediately after these in-office bleaching sessions is due to the temporary dehydration of the teeth, which, after rehydrating, will quickly return to or close to their original shade. Because I want my patients to experience the best, longest-lasting whitening results, we use the technique known worldwide as the gold standard – custom-made, at-home bleaching trays.