You may dream of having a dazzling white smile, but your current smile isn’t quite up to par. You may see all the available teeth whitening kits over the counter at your local department store and wonder: Are they good enough? After all, you could save some time and a bit of money if you took that route.

Unfortunately, as simple as that seems, what you gain in convenience, you lose in results.  If you want a smile that rivals that of celebrities, professional tooth whitening is the way you want to go. The providers at Arya Dental explain more about the advantages of professional tooth whitening.

The causes of stained teeth

If you’re wondering how your smile got so yellow in the first place, many common, everyday habits may be to blame. Some of these habits are preventable, but many of them are hard to avoid.  

The habits most likely to contribute to stained teeth include the following:

• Smoking
• Drinking tea or coffee
• Drinking red wine
• Consuming dark berries, like blackberries and blueberries
• Consuming a lot of sugar (especially sugar-sweetened beverages)

These are not the only foods that can stain your teeth, but they are some of the most likely culprits. Brushing your teeth on a regular basis can help to eliminate some — but not all — of the staining.

How professional tooth whitening is different

Quite simply, the results from over-the-counter teeth whitening products don’t even compare to the results that you can get from professional treatment. 

Professional teeth whitening offers the following advantages:

Bleach concentration

The amount of bleach that you can get in over-the-counter products is much weaker than what we can use in our office. The bleach we use is stronger in concentration, which delivers more powerful results.

Zoom® laser

When you get teeth whitening in our office, we assist the bleaching process with a technology called Zoom, which uses LED lights. This technology activates the bleach to make it more effective in lifting the stains from your teeth.

The whole in-office bleaching process, including the Zoom light, takes about an hour. You can put on headphones and listen to music or watch TV while the light and the bleach work their magic on your teeth. You’ll walk out with a completely new smile.

Take-home treatment

You can get the results of professional teeth whitening at home, too. Arya Dental offers trays that you can take home and wear for several minutes each day. This is better than store-bought options because the bleach is still of a higher concentration. 

Who’s not a candidate for professional teeth whitening

Try as we might, some people simply aren’t great candidates for professional teeth whitening. This might apply if any of the following affect you:

• If your teeth are stained as a result of taking certain medications (particularly a class of antibiotics called tetracyclines)
• If your dentin is naturally darker (this is the pulp inside of your teeth)
• Overexposure to fluoride, which causes a condition called fluorosis
• Trauma

The best way to know how well you’ll respond to professional tooth whitening is to schedule a consultation. We’ll be honest with you about whether or not it will work for you. But fortunately, it does work very well for most people.

The results of professional teeth whitening aren’t permanent, unfortunately, but you can make your results last as long as possible by keeping up with good regular oral hygiene habits, like brushing and flossing your teeth, and getting regular dental cleanings.

If you want to find out what professional teeth whitening can do for you, schedule a consultation. Contact the providers at Arya Dental or request an appointment online.