Types of Professional Teeth Whitening: In-Office & At-Home
The market for teeth whitening is constantly gaining in popularity because everyone wants whiter and brighter teeth to complement their smile. If you are one among the many that want brighter teeth, you might consider various options to achieve your goal to flash your pearly whites.
When you consider teeth whitening, you might come across many over-the-counter products, non-dental professionals, and dentists offering teeth whitening treatments at different prices. The prices of various remedies from different sources might encourage you to consider a few before eventually giving upon them.
If you want to whiten your teeth safely and effectively, the best option at your disposal is professional teeth whitening provided by a qualified dentist. Of course, you can expect dentists to charge higher prices for a straightforward teeth whitening treatment for you. However, the costs for the treatment depend on your unique situation, the kind of treatment you choose, and how many sessions you need before you can achieve the results you desire.
Why Choose Professional Teeth Whitening from a Dentist?
Dentists are professionals with thorough knowledge about dental anatomy and evaluate every patient’s needs after examining them. The teeth whitening treatment from dentists is personalized explicitly for your needs and not a generic solution. In addition, dentists ensure the soft tissues of your mouth are protected to make sure you don’t confront any sensitivity during your treatment.
Dental professionals can offer you two varieties of teeth whitening treatments:
In-Office Teeth Whitening
If you want instant results for a particular occasion, dentists provide in-office teeth whitening, helping you improve the color of your teeth by several shades in one visit.
At-Home Teeth Whitening
If you want a technique to improve your teeth’ color without scheduling dental visits, professionals can offer you at-home whitening trays with gel and instructions on how and when to use them. At-home trays require regular use over time before they deliver results. However, both options discussed are safe and will provide the results committed either slowly or gradually.
What Happens If You Consider In-Office Teeth Whitening?
If you consider in-office teeth whitening from our dentist in Houston, you allow yourself to have brighter and whiter teeth in one appointment with our family dentist. You also receive a dental exam and cleaning before the whitening treatment to ensure your mouth is free from any infections.
Our dentist near you doesn’t start whitening your teeth when you enter their office. Instead, the professional initially determines the reasons for the discoloration affecting your teeth to select the appropriate treatment suitable for you. Dentists look for whether you have extrinsic or intrinsic stains and customize your treatment accordingly.
After evaluating your teeth, you receive a dental cleaning to eliminate plaque and tartar on your teeth and below the gum line. While you might not realize it, plaque and tartar also contribute to teeth discoloration. The professional also notes the color of your teeth for reference later. Your teeth whitening treatment begins only after the procedures described are completed by our dentist.
When starting the in-office teeth whitening treatment, our dentist initially protects your cheeks and gums using rubber dams and cheek retractors. After the soft tissues of your mouth are protected, our dentist applies concentrated hydrogen peroxide over your teeth four times during the hour at 15-minute intervals each. After every 15 minutes, the existing application is suctioned off for another application. The hydrogen peroxide application is accompanied by heat and light to accelerate the whitening ingredient to remove intrinsic and extrinsic stains.
At the end of one hour, our dentist or hygienist requests you rinse your mouth and receive a fluoride treatment to prevent any sensitivity. Our dentist compares the color of your teeth with the notes made earlier to observe the whitening treatment has improved your teeth’ color by 3 to 8 shades out of 16.
In-office teeth whitening treatments are undoubtedly expensive but are performed under the supervision of a dentist. Our dentist near you advises you on maintaining the brightness of your teeth longer by using techniques that don’t require any additional investments besides caring for your dental hygiene appropriately and getting six-monthly dental checkups and cleanings. In addition, dentists also recommend you limit or avoid staining foods and beverages, and smoking primary culprit for discoloring your teeth. Following our dentist’s advice helps you maintain the results of in-office teeth whitening longer and provides the pearly whites you have a sparkle you will proudly show off.
Conclusion
If you want to whiten your teeth and are considering professional teeth whitening in Houston, TX, we recommend you schedule an appointment with Lynn Alan Palmer, DDS, providing in-office and at-home teeth whitening options you can use according to your needs.