Having a bright, white smile is an easy way to boost your confidence, and is very popular.
At-Home Teeth Whitening
The first step toward brighter teeth is to visit with Dr. Michelle Stillman. She’ll need to check you before starting, and you’ll want to have had a recent cleaning. She’ll then get you started with the at-home whitening kit. She uses Opalescence Go for all of her patients, a hydrogen peroxide gel that is vegan, gluten-free, and certified kosher.
Opalescence Go does not require custom trays but is ready to go right out of the box. The trays conform to your teeth, ensuring that their hydrogen peroxide gel comes into contact with all tooth surfaces.
The way that hydrogen peroxide works is by oxidizing stains in your teeth. There are some stains, like those from tetracycline, that are deep within the tooth and cannot be completely removed with whitening treatments. In this case, porcelain veneers are recommended. Everyday stains from coffee, soda pop, and color-depositing foods like juice and berries can be removed via whitening treatment.
There are two strengths of Opalescence Go: 10% and 15%. The only difference is how long you will wear the trays every day. If you would like faster results, you would need to wear the 15% hydrogen peroxide gel for 15 to 20 minutes daily, for up 10 days. The 10% solution requires 30 to 60 minutes of wear time per day, for up to 10 days, with the same results.
Are whitening kits better than whitening toothpaste?
While you may see some results with whitening toothpaste, the hydrogen peroxide level tops out at 3%. These types of toothpaste can remove surface stains, but they don’t have enough time to soak deeply into the teeth.
There is no limit to how white you can bleach your teeth, and you can touch them up every six months as they acquire new stains from coffee, tea, or other color-rich foods.
The main advantage of at-home whitening kits is that you are under the supervision of a cosmetic dentist. Dr. Stillman can match bridges, implants, and crowns to your new tooth color. Whitening should always be done before cosmetic procedures because porcelain teeth cannot be whitened any further.
Request an Appointment
To make an appointment with Dr. Stillman about getting a beautiful white smile, call our office directly or visit our request an appointment page.