Professional Teeth Whitening

Today professional teeth whitening has become extremely popular with people of all ages, so you no longer have to be a celebrity to have gorgeous white teeth and a prettier, brighter smile. There are a lot of whitening options, and prices are much more affordable to the average consumer.

Professional teeth whitening is performed in-office by a dentist with medical supervision, and the dentist will help evaluate which technique is best for you, based on efficiency, patient history and affordability.

Not all dentists are created equal.

First, it’s important to find a good dentist, and discuss the various whitening techniques to determine your best option. Most dentists will be familiar with all of the systems, but may only use one or two in their practice. When choosing a dentist, look for someone who is involved in cosmetic dentistry, and has performed professional teeth whitening for a lot of patients.

If possible, talk to some of their patients to see if they are happy with the results. Recommendations for a dentist from friends or relatives that have had good results with teeth whitening are always a good place to start. There are numerous professional teeth whitening systems on the market, and each one differs in technique, time, and results.

The pH scale of 1-14 measures the acidity of a product, with the midrange of 7.0 being neutral. The lower the pH, the more acidic the product. If the pH falls below 5.2, tooth enamel and tooth root may be negatively affected, so the pH on teeth whiteners and toothpastes are important.

No waiting around weeks for results.

Professional teeth whitening will show immediate results, however, not all patients will achieve the same degree of whitening, even with the same product. The existing teeth color will affect results, as darker teeth will achieve greater whitening than lighter teeth. In-office whitening is accomplished in one to three visits, offering quick results for the patient, but prices will vary for treatments, depending on the dentist and location.

Some professional techniques use a bleaching light accelerator: a plasma gas or LED light applied to the gel. Entire process: about 60 minutes. Others use a mercury halide light with an infrared filter or a diode laser light and times can vary a little longer for the process. The accelerator simply makes the process go faster to get your teeth whiter in a shorter amount of time.

Part 5 - Home Teeth Whitening