Get Back Your Healthy Looking Teeth With Teeth Whitening
If your smile is dark and yellow thanks to years of coffee, tobacco or soda, people are going to take one look at that dingy smile and make some not-so-nice assumptions about you. Worse, your confidence can get pretty low once you realize that. Helping your teeth get back to their original, healthy color will do wonders for your self-esteem and how others see you. Dr. Steven Airey provides at-home teeth whitening to brighten and renew your smile.
What Causes Teeth to Lose Their White Color?
The enamel on your teeth is translucent, so there are actually two ways for teeth to lose their healthy white color. Some people’s teeth get dark from the inside, with makes the enamel outside look darker or yellow. This can be caused by injuries to the tooth or unusual side effects of medication taken when you were younger. While this internal “stain” is unusual, it cannot be fixed with teeth whitening.
However, external stains can be treated. This is when tiny, natural imperfections in your enamel get stained by foods (such as tomato sauce), drinks (such as coffee, tea and soda) or tobacco products. Your teeth can look yellow, brown or just dingy.
How Does Teeth Whitening Work?
In a teeth whitening treatment, a bleaching agent is applied to the outside of your teeth. At Appalachian Dental Care, we use Opalescence® take-home trays (they look like mouthguards) filled with a gel containing that bleaching agent. Beforehand, we take a mold of your teeth so we can create a custom tray that will fit comfortably and completely. You simply place the tray on your teeth, wait a little bit, then remove it. After a few weeks, you will be done, and your teeth will look so much better.
Can’t I Just Buy the Stuff in the Drugstore?
Most drugstores offer some over-the-counter teeth whitening products such as toothpaste and their own take-home trays. However, the bleaching agent in these is much weaker than what is in our Opalescence teeth whitening trays. That is how they can sell them over the counter. Plus, teeth whitening toothpastes can contain abrasive agents to scratch away stains. The problem is that this can erode the enamel as well. By using our Opalescence teeth whitening take-home trays, you get the convenience of taking care of things at home but with the professional strength to make it all worthwhile.
To learn more about our teeth whitening treatment in Boone, North Carolina, or to schedule your next appointment with our dentist, give us a call today at 828-264-9938 or use our online form.
