Teeth Whitening

What is teeth whitening?

Teeth whitening is a dental service that helps improve the overall color and appearance of your teeth. A well-administered teeth whitening process can lighten the color of your teeth by one to two shades.

Most teeth whitening products use one of two bleaching ingredients: hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. Different types of whitening products may have varying degrees of concentration of these agents.

Teeth whitening can be done using over-the-counter products, like gels or strips, or done professionally by a dentist, either in the office or at home. Dentist supervision may be important because over-whitening can be detrimental to the health of your enamel and damage your gums.

Dr. Moskowitz offers professional grade, at-home treatments, which he supervises, to help you achieve results that both meet your goals and are healthy for your teeth and gums.

Why do teeth become discolored?

Your teeth can become discolored for a number of reasons. These reasons may include:

• Foods and drinks: like coffee, wine, or tomatoes
• Tobacco use: Tar and nicotine cause teeth to be yellow or brownish.
• Facial trauma: The dentin layer of your teeth may react by turning gray.
• Medications: like chemotherapy, antipsychotics, and some antibiotics

The ideal way to achieve teeth whitening may be determined by the cause for your discoloration. Teeth whitening can’t improve discoloration on veneers, crowns, dental implants, or fillings.

What does at-home teeth whitening entail?

Before Dr. Moskowitz suggests a teeth whitening treatment plan for you, it is important that your teeth, gums, and mouth are healthy. If you have cavities, open sores, or bleeding or inflamed gums, it will be best to postpone your teeth whitening until your mouth is as healthy as possible.

Once your mouth is healthy, Dr. Moskowitz will take a mold of your teeth and create a custom-fitted tray. This tray will hold a prescribed teeth-whitening gel, which you will place at home. You will place the tray in your mouth, exposing your teeth to the gel, for a couple of hours a day while sleeping.

Typically, you can achieve the desired results in about one to two weeks, but some cases may require up to six weeks.

If you are interested in at-home teeth whitening, call or book an appointment to talk to Eric T. Moskowitz, DDS.