Tooth Whitening

"My teeth aren't white, but I used the special whitening toothpaste!" We hear this weekly. The public has been slightly fooled by the misnomer "whitening toothpaste." The whiteners are simply toothpaste with a stronger abrasive that will remove stains on the outside of the teeth. Whitening pastes or gels will whiten or clean outside stains from coffee, tea, smoking, etc. and give your teeth a brighter appearance. There are bleaching toothpastes that have a peroxide base that will bleach the teeth over a very long period of time--8 to 12 months, if you are lucky.

Bleaching occurs from the inside of the tooth and usually requires prolonged exposure to a bleaching agent. These toothpastes are an adjunct to your daily cleaning or bleaching regimen. If you eat or drink a lot of staining foods like red wine or blueberries, for example, then the whitening pastes will help keep stains off the outside of your teeth. If you are bleaching or have bleached, using a bleaching toothpaste can help maintain the color you have attained.

So how do you get your teeth that young white glow...?

Over-the-counter white strips--$20 to $60, more than one or two boxes may be needed for best results.

For about five years now, these have been marketed to bleach your teeth with average success rates. For people with fairly bright or moderate yellow stains and straight teeth, they may be just fine. I have seen some very nice results in a few of our patients. The majority of patients complain about the looseness of the cellophane strips and how hard and umcomfortable they feel in the mouth. If your teeth are crooked, the ones not in alignment may not bleach to the same level as the other teeth, leading to uneven color. The strips are usually short, so you can only bleach the front six teeth or so, leaving the back teeth with darker--once again, uneven color.

Paint-on bleaching--$20 to $55, more than one or two uses for best results.

These bleaching agents are a lot like nail polish. You simply dry the teeth, paint this on and let it dry. The bleach adheres to the outside of the teeth for a period of time, therby causing the process to begin. the most popular of these is the Go-Smile brand. We have not had many patients who have tried this method, so I cannot fairly give any positive or negative feedback on these products.

Custom trays--$30 to $100 for do-it-yourself kits and $200 to $600 for dentist-made custom trays.

By far, this is the best value of the bleaching regimens. In the first of two office visits, molds of your upper and lower teeth and thin custom trays are made to fit your mouth. Within a day or two the trays are ready to deliver along with a bleaching gel (mint or fruit flavored) which is placed into the trays, and they are worn for 30 minutes to four hours daily. The more you wear them, the faster the teeth bleach. Lighter teeth can be bleached as quickly as two weeks, while even dark teeth can be bleached if used for six months to a year. The trays can easily last for five years with proper care.
Take-home kits can work, but the trays are usually bulky and the gel seeps out into the mouth due to the looser fit of the trays. You will need to use more get to get a result.

In-office laser or light bleaching--$200 to $650 per session.
For those of us who do not want to wear trays at home or want a more instant result, the in-office procedures are the ticket. Research has shown that at least three to five sessions are needed to get noticeable long-term results. Many brands exist, but the key is to have multiple sessions. Beware of the shopping center and cruise ship bleaching centers, unless they offer three to five sessions. The secret to remember is that each in-office session is worth about one to two weeks of at-home tray bleaching.

Deep-bleaching--The latest and greatest is a combination of the in-office and at-home techniques. One in-office treatment gives you an immediate result, but it is short lived (only two to six weeks) unless it is followed by more in-office or at-home procedures. It is always best to have a dentist evaluate your teeth before bleaching, since unfilled cavities, older leaking fillings, and recessed gums will probably cause sensitivity. We suggest that after you achieve the bright white smile of your dreams, you do a touch-up bleaching every six months when you get your teeth cleaned. If you have trays, use them for just a week to keep the color looking great. If you used the in-office method, you probably need one treatment every eight to 12 months to keep those pearly whites.
Bleaching teeth has become the easiest and least expensive cosmetic dental procedure.