Due to a variety of reasons, teeth tend to stain and “yellow” over time. We have both at-home and in-office treatments that can help give you a crisp white smile. Our at-home treatments involve wearing a simple whitening tray with a gel for 30 minutes on a regular schedule of your choosing. For our in-office treatments, we use an at-home treatment for two weeks and then apply a stronger whitening gel two or three times at the office to give you the whitest smile dentistry can. Most patients use a combination of in-home teeth whitening with occasional visits to our office for that extra boost. If you are interested in this treatment, request an appointment or give us a call and we’ll schedule an appointment to make your custom trays.
Our first step is to make a custom tray, or mouthpiece, that will hold the whitening gel on your teeth and protect your mouth. On your first visit, we will take impressions of your teeth and discuss the best teeth whitening approach for you. After a few days, your trays will be ready for pick-up and we will give you a whitening gel to use at home for two weeks. See below for instructions on how to use the trays at home. After using them for two weeks at home, you can come into the office where we will apply a much stronger whitening gel 2-3 times for 10 minutes each. This combination of at-home pre-treatment and in-office whitening will give you some of the whitest teeth dentistry offers.
For two weeks after your last whitening, be careful to avoid ingesting any colored foods or drinks like coffee, red wine, sodas, red-sauced spaghetti or pizza, etc., even if using a staw.
Our first step is to make a custom tray, or mouthpiece, that will hold the whitening gel on your teeth and protect your mouth. On your first visit, we will take impressions of your teeth and discuss the best whitening approach for you. After a few days, your trays will be ready and you can pick them up and we will give you a whitening gel and instructions for using it at home.
For the first two weeks, you should wear them for a minimum of 30 minutes/day to get the whitest smile. During this time and until a week after your last whitening, be careful not to ingest any colored foods or drinks like coffee, red wine, sodas, red-sauced spaghetti or pizza, etc., even if using a straw.
In a small percentage of cases, your teeth may become sensitive. If this happens, try using the trays every other day or call our office for alternatives.
Brush your teeth to remove any light plaque buildup and then place a small bead of the whitening gel in your trays. Place the trays in your mouth and keep them there for about 30 minutes. Once you’re done, you can rinse your trays with water and occasionally brush them with toothpaste to keep them clean. Store your trays at room temperature or cooler as hot temperatures may cause the trays to warp.
You may continue to use the trays in the future after your initial whitening treatment and it is up to you how often you would like to. Some patients use it once or twice a week, others use it for 1 week straight every six months. There is no long-term harm caused by this.
At a microscopic level, your enamel has a slightly porous honeycomb structure that naturally stains over time. Good oral hygiene can help to slow the process but it is natural that small particles will find their way to your enamel. This type of staining can’t be cleaned with regular brushing or a hygiene visit because it has bonded to the honeycomb cells in your enamel. Our teeth whitening treatment opens the pores to whiten the outermost layer of your enamel to gain back the original white color of your teeth.
Give us a call at 804-739-6818 (Midlothian) or 434-391-1211 (Farmville) to speak with a member of our team. You can also fill out our handy 24/7 contact form.
