Tooth Whitening

Types of Whitening

At Cherry Bay Dental, we provide patients with information on two main types of dental whitening. Some dental offices provide whitening services in the office while others focus on treatments that can be completed at home. An in-office treatment can be done at the same time as a teeth cleaning or during a separate appointment. It is typically completed within an hour and produces immediately white teeth. For many people, this is an ideal solution because of how quickly it is finished.

In our dental office, we also recommend whitening trays. This type of procedure is effective and puts patients in control over how white their teeth become and how often they are whitened. Dr. Heather Rhoads Pfefferle starts by having an impression taken of a patient’s teeth. This impression is then used to create customized whitening trays in a dental lab. They fit securely around teeth and will not leak solution into the mouth. This is an ideal way for patients throughout Michigan to whiten teeth because once they are created, they can be used at any time. Patients are provided with a whitening solution to use at home, and the trays need to be worn for a couple of hours every night for a week or more. Once teeth have reached the perfect shade of white, a patient can stop wearing the trays. This portable solution can be taken anywhere, making it possible for people to whiten teeth while on vacation, business trips or after moving to a new city.

Whitening Before a Procedure

At Cherry Bay Dental, we also recommend that patients have their teeth whitened before having other dental procedures completed. Most of the materials that are used in dental restorations or for cosmetic purposes are stain-resistant and bleach-resistant. For example, a dental crown won’t stain or bleach but should maintain its initial coloring with time. When a crown, veneer, bridge, or implant is created in a dental lab, they are created to match the shade of the surrounding teeth. If the surrounding teeth are yellow, these restorations will be created in a yellow shade. If the surrounding teeth are a brilliant white, the restoration will be as well. This makes the timing of teeth whitening procedures important. If you live in the 49686 area and know that you need a dental restoration, have your teeth whitening procedure scheduled first.

Benefits of Whitening

People have their teeth whitened on a regular basis so that they can look and feel great. As people age, it is common for teeth to become dull and yellow. This is in part due to age itself and also due to what a person eats and drinks. Drinking coffee, tea and wine, for example, can stain your teeth. Smoking and eating foods that contain food coloring can also stain your teeth. Brushing immediately after eating and drinking can help to prevent stains but is typically not enough to remove the risk entirely. Fortunately, stained and yellow teeth don’t have to stay that way.

How it works

When a whitening solution is applied to the teeth, the hydrogen peroxide inside of the solution penetrates through the enamel. It then starts the oxidation process where molecules are transformed to reflect less or no light. This makes them appear colorless, and teeth appear white. This process is typically extremely effective for eliminating stains and can be repeated frequently.

On occasion, the stains are too strong for a teeth bleaching procedure to work. When this happens, Dr. Heather Rhoads Pfefferle can provide an alternative treatment. For example, patients in Traverse City can have dental veneers placed on the surface of teeth in order to cover dark stains. This is often preferable for patients that smoke since veneers are stain-resistant and won’t yellow quickly like natural teeth. Still, it is wise to try a teeth whitening procedure first, before starting a cosmetic one.