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Teeth Whitening For years we have been watching an array of in-office teeth whitening products hit the market.  We have felt that until recently they have all had major drawbacks to the patient, and have been unreasonably expensive.  We are happy to announce that we can now offer One-Hour Teeth Whitening that is safe,  ADA approved, and affordable. It is now possible to whiten your teeth up to 10 shades in one hour without pain or discomfort, messy mouth guards, or multiple visits.  By whitening all your teeth in one visit we can achieve the hghest level of shade uniformity throughout your mouth.   Teeth whitening generally lasts for several years, but we also offer "Take Home" kits if you choose to do touchups from time to time. In the discussion below, we answer many of the most commonly asked questions about teeth whitening.

Frequently Asked Questions QUESTION- What is the teeth whitening process? ANSWER- Teeth whitening is actually a bleaching process that lightens discolorations of tooth enamel. The One-Hour Teeth Whitening system uses a professional strength gel of carbamide peroxide that is applied to your teeth to achieve rapid results. Up to ten shades of lightening can be achieved in one visit. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUESTION- How do teeth whitening systems remove stains? ANSWER- As the active ingredient in the get (carbamide peroxide), is broken down, oxygen acts upon the stained organic deposits, which oxidizes them into a white color.  Your tooth structure remains unchanged.  Years of clinical tests have demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of this system.  Over 95% of people treated achieve some level of tooth whitening.   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUESTION- Is the whitening process permanent? ANSWER- For most people, the treatment will last for many years.  Your teeth have become stained in the first place from consuming foods and beverages, and from aging.  Upon completion of the whitening process, your teeth are restored as close as possible to their natural white color.  Exposure to foods, drinks (especially coffee, colas and red wines), and tobacco will gradually darken teeth again over time.  One study found that 42% of the people who had undergone whitening were still satisfied with the shade of their teeth 7 years later.   After initial treatment, many people do touchups with take-home kits once every 6-12 months. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUESTION- Why is this One-Hour Teeth Whitening system better than over-the- counter products? ANSWER- Simply put, many over-the-counter products do not work effectively.  Whitening systems found in mass retail markets do not use Carbamide Peroxide.  Many OTC whitening gels are not thick enough to stay in place long enough, and leak out of trays to cause gum irritation.  In addition, the concentrated active ingredients used in One-Hour Teeth Whitening are best used under the supervision of your dentist.  The only products that so far have been able to achieve the ADA’s Seal of Approval are dentist dispensed products. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUESTION- Does One-Hour Teeth Whitening affect the appearance of my dental work? ANSWER- NO.  Restorations such as white fillings, bonding, crowns, and bridges will not be whitened by the whitening process.  In most cases, a person’s teeth should be whitened before such dental work is done so that the dentist can match restorations to the new shade of the teeth.  One exception is porcelain veneers, which are translucent shells that have been bonded to the front side of a person’s teeth.  While the bleaching agent will not change the color of the veneer itself, it will be able to permeate the tooth from the back side. Because the veneers are translucent, the net effect is a whiter tooth. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUESTION- What side effects can be expected from One-Hour Teeth Whitening? ANSWER- The two most common side effects of teeth bleaching are the creation (or increase) of hot and cold sensitivity in a person’s teeth, and irritation of a person’s gums.  Usually these side effects are minimal.  The One-Hour Whitening system fully protects your gums while the bleaching agents are applied.  This protective coating is removed after all active gel has been removed from your mouth.  In addition, we offer desensitizing toothpastes and mouth rinses to minimize the inconvenience of tooth sensitivity. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUESTION- Will my teeth become perfectly white? ANSWER- No.  The teeth of humans as a race, display a wide range of shades of white.  Many people have an unrealistic idea of what constitutes a natural tooth shade.  In fact, the shades of many models’ and actor’s teeth fall into the realm of “unnatural”.  Often these extreme shades of white have been achieved by means other than bleaching such as the placement of veneers.  Persons trying to achieve extreme shades of white often over expose themselves to tooth whiteners, and place themselves at risk of damaging their teeth.  While not an iron-clad rule, a very natural appearance for a person’s teeth is that they are almost as light as the whites of their eyes. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUESTION- Will teeth whitening damage tooth enamel? ANSWER- Studies, some using scanning electron microscopes, have found no difference in the microhardness or mineral content of tooth enamel content of tooth surfaces after whitening. In relative terms, studies have shown that exposure to soft drinks and fruit juices cause comparable or greater alteration of tooth enamel than tooth whiteners. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUESTION- Will teeth whiteners damage the nerve in my tooth. ANSWER- Studies conducted since the introduction of teeth whitening systems have not identified a problem related to harmful effects on the health of a tooth’s nerve. One study’s results found that no one in their 4.5 and 7 year follow-up groups reported needing root canals treatment on any whitened tooth. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUESTION- Will One-Hour Teeth Whitening work on teeth darkened due to medicine use? ANSWER- Yes, usually.  Some people have dark tooth staining because they had a systemic exposure to certain medicines as a child, while their tooth enamel was initially forming.  One family of antibiotics, the tetracyclines, is known for causing brown tooth stains.  Excessive ingestion of fluoride by young children (such as eating toothpaste) can cause flourosis which appears as excessively white areas on a tooth.  Sometimes flourosis can be masked by bleaching normally colored teeth to a lighter shade. Discuss with your dentist if this is feasible to try. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUESTION- Can I whiten individually dark teeth? ANSWER- There are times when a single tooth has become darker than its neighboring teeth.  As an example, it is very common that a tooth that has had a root canal treatment will darken as years pass.  Teeth that have a history of having been traumatized, such as being bumped in an accident, will often darken with time too.  (This darkening may or may not indicate significant problems with the nerve in the tooth.  Any individually darkened tooth should always be evaluated by your dentist.)  The effectiveness of bleaching individual teeth can vary so you should discuss this with your dentist also. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUESTION- What if I have not been to the dentist in a while? ANSWER- If it has been more than 6 months since your last dental exam, you should indicate this when making your whitening appointment so that time can be allocated for an exam.  This will assure that your teeth are in good general dental health and that you are a candidate for One-Hour Teeth Whitening.  Sometimes intra-oral photographs will be taken for documentation and to help discuss the history of your current tooth shade.      ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUESTION- What about teeth with gum recession? ANSWER- Some people have gum recession on one or more teeth.  Usually the root surface that becomes visible as gums recede has an appearance which is somewhat darker than the rest of the tooth. This root surface is not covered by enamel, but rather a darker material called dentin.  Unfortunately, dentin color will not change noticeably as a result of whitening your teeth. If you have other questions, feel free to use our Contact Form.