Teeth Whitening
Are you unsatisfied with the color of your teeth?
Staining can occur for many reasons, including smoking or tobacco use. Your teeth can also become stained by regularly eating certain foods and beverages. Plus, teeth naturally start to darken as you age.
Luckily, visiting our office for a professional whitening treatment can reverse the effects of tooth staining and give you back your dazzling smile. Brilliant, white teeth will make you look healthier and more youthful.
There are many over-the-counter whitening treatments readily available for purchase; however, professional whitening is generally safer and more effective. Applicator trays in over-the-counter kits are intended to be “one size fits all,” which can result in them fitting uncomfortably in your mouth since they aren’t designed specifically for your teeth. Whitening gels included with this type of product can sometimes be too abrasive or can leak because of ill-fitting trays, leading to gum and other soft tissue irritation.
For these reasons, you may want to choose professional whitening instead. The whitening service provided by your dentist may consist of two phases – an in-office whitening session and a customized at-home kit and care plan.
In-Office Whitening
Your dentist will choose whitening gel in the appropriate strength for your case while accounting for factors like your level of sensitivity and your whitening goals. This gel is typically applied using custom-made applicator trays for maximum comfort and also to protect the tissues in your mouth from becoming irritated by the whitening gel. Teeth can be lightened dramatically in only one session.
At-Home Whitening
If you prefer to whiten your teeth at your convenience, your dentist may provide you with a custom at-home whitening kit. Your applicator trays will be made just for you, and the strength of the whitening gel will be chosen to meet your needs. You will be given specific instructions for how to use it safely.
After this kind of whitening treatment, you will typically be asked to schedule a follow-up visit with our office to check on your progress
Schedule a Consultation Today
Why wait any longer to start toward your perfect smile? Contact your cosmetic dentist today to find out more about whitening services.
Frequently Asked Questions
We offer a range of cosmetic dentistry services such as veneers, porcelain crowns, bonding using tooth-colored composite, and even orthodontic treatments like Invisalign. All our of dentistry is done with an eye toward aesthetics. We know that it's important that your teeth are both healthy and attractive. If you'd like to find out which of our services can help you meet your goals, call our office to schedule your consultation.
It shouldn't.
Most professional whitening products contain an added desensitizing ingredient that protects even sensitive teeth and keeps you comfortable during the process. Additionally, the customizable nature of professional whitening treatments prevents the product from coming into contact with soft tissues like your gums, lips, and tongue.
If your teeth are very sensitive, please talk to us so that we can help you determine whether whitening is appropriate for you.
When patients talk about “cosmetic dentistry” we are always interested to hear what people think that means. To us, dentistry has evolved to the point that we feel most services could be considered “cosmetic” as we use tooth colored filling material for almost everything. That said, many people consider cosmetic dentistry to include the use of porcelain crowns, porcelain veneers, bonded white fillings on front teeth, tooth whitening or bleaching, and white fillings on back teeth. And yes, we routinely perform all of these procedures. We also utilize Invisalign to help straighten your teeth, and dental implant restorations to restore a single tooth, multiple teeth, or even all of your teeth. In fact, we even feel the conventional dentures and removable partials we fabricate also fall into the cosmetic category as we not only use top labs and materials, but also take every extra step to ensure they look as realistic as possible. So yes, we do perform all of these cosmetic dental services, and we will discuss them with you, as well as present options and risks of treatment before we start your treatment. Give us a call to set up a consultation so we can see what can be done.
It seems like a simple question, but there isn't always one simple answer. In order to answer that question, we would want to see you in our office so we could evaluate your overall oral health because any treatment is doomed to fail if the gums are not healthy enough to support the treatments. Once we evaluate your periodontal (gum) health, we will evaluate your tooth health and determine which treatments are necessary. We always have to consider both form and function. In other words, we not only want it to look right (form) but we want it to function. Sometimes we may recommend orthodontic treatment prior to any restorative treatments. Other times, something as simple as bleaching teeth is all that is needed to make things look brighter. Most of the time, the needs fall somewhere in between. The best way to get an answer is to give us a call so we can see what you need, what you want, and then come up with a list of options based on your mouth and your wishes. Give us a call so we can come up with a treatment plan that will fit your needs.
Meet Our Doctor:
Robert C. Clay Jr. DDS
Dr. Bob grew up on the far southeast side of Chicago. After graduating from St. Francis de Sales High School, he attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree, specializing in microbiology. Dr. Bob went on to attend the University of Illinois at Chicago Dental School where he received a second Bachelor’s Degree, a Bachelor of Science in Dentistry, followed by his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. Following graduation, he completed his state and national board exams and began practicing dentistry in ...