When patients ask what I think about teeth whitening - I respond: “ I love teeth whitening…I think EVERYONE should have it!” It is an appropriate treatment for most people, and it is often the easiest and most cost effective way to make your smile really pop. Who benefits most from teeth whitening? People without fillings or crowns on front teeth, people who have a fairly uniform tooth shade (not a lot of white patches or different colorations) and obviously people who have discolored teeth! We use a tooth that helps us measure the color and value (brightness) of your teeth. This shade is called a “vita shade guide”. We use both the classic and the 3D. The the photos and note how there are several different letters (A,B,C,D) and also numbers associated with the letters. In this case 1 is the brightest (high value) and 4 is the darkest (low value). The photo showing the VITA 3D is in black and white - and highlights well how the “values” of teeth can vary across the spectrum.
In my opinion the BEST teeth whitening option is 1) predictable 2) relatively quick and easy to use and 3) causes minimal teeth sensitivity. There is NO magic bullet for teeth whitening…there is no one stop transformation for MOST people. We have found same day (one appt) in office teeth whitening to be very unpredictable. And, we have found lasers, and UV lights and all the other marketing gimmick to be no more effective (over the long term) than our custom make take home whitening tray with Kor formulated gel. We do a TON of teeth whitening at our office - and we get results. The trays are made and trimmed in a specific way to keep the gel in close contact with your teeth, and off your gum tissue. The gel is specially formulated to deliver the most consistent whitening session with the least amount of sensitivity. There are gels with HIGHTER concentration…and initially they may seem to be more effective the first couple of sessions. But, at mid treatment and end of treatment (20-5 sessions) the Kor take home gel delivers the same level of whitening with much less sensitivity. How long is a session? We instruct patients to wear the tray every night if possible (1 session) OR wear it (1-2hrs) during the day while cooking, watching a movie or driving in their car. On average most of our patients reach their desired tooth brightness in 20-25 session. The beauty of the take home product is if you want to whiten more…you just add more sessions. The other aspect I love about custom take home trays is you can continue to do “touch up” whitening session (1-2 sessions every couple months) in order to KEEP your teeth bright, white and pretty!
If you want to learn more check out our “teeth whitening” section on our website and/or come in for a consult and get the process started. You can start whitening after just two quick appointments!
~ Dr Brenny