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A brighter, whiter smile looks healthy, beautiful, and more youthful. It signals to the world that you care about your appearance, and with professional teeth whitening treatments, it is easy to achieve.
If you are generally happy with the size and shape of your teeth but feel they look stained and dingy, a professional whitening treatment could be just what you need. For patients seeking a more complete cosmetic enhancement, whitening may be combined with treatments such as cosmetic gum contouring or tooth bonding to improve overall smile balance.
This guide explains what happens during a professional teeth whitening in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, provides more information about the treatments we offer, and includes a step-by-step overview of the process. We also discuss aftercare and how to help the results last longer.
What Is Professional Teeth Whitening?
A professional teeth whitening treatment is the easiest and safest way to achieve a brighter smile quickly. Under the supervision of Dr. Levin and his team of experienced dentists can use professional-strength whitening products that are not available to the general public.
These products can lift even deep-seated stains from tooth enamel, improving the overall color of your teeth by several shades. The results are fast and long-lasting. Most importantly, Dr. Levin will ensure your treatment is completely safe.
Types of Teeth Whitening Treatments Offered
VitaDent offers two different types of whitening: an in-office treatment and take-home whitening kits.
In Office Teeth Whitening
An in-office teeth whitening treatment is the fastest way to achieve a brighter, whiter smile. It could take as little as an hour to brighten your teeth by several shades. Choose this option if you can’t wait to reveal your whiter smile to the world.
Custom Take Home Whitening Kits
A custom take-home whitening kit is created for use at home. We supply custom-made whitening trays and a professional-strength whitening gel. Instead of hydrogen peroxide, it is carbamide peroxide, which is more stable and suitable for home use.
The step-by-step process for teeth whitening is outlined below. Steps one and two are the same for an in office and a custom home whitening kit.
Step One: Consultation & Dental Exam (In-Office and Custom Home Whitening Kit)
An initial consultation allows our dentist to assess your tooth shade and determine the cause of your tooth staining. It’s essential to determine whether the staining is external or internal.
External or extrinsic teeth staining will respond well to a professional teeth whitening treatment. If the tooth is stained internally or intrinsically, teeth whitening may not be as successful, and we may recommend an alternative procedure. This could mean bleaching the tooth internally or covering it with a dental veneer.
Before you can safely whiten your teeth, we must first conduct a dental exam. This is necessary to determine if you are a good candidate for teeth whitening, and we need to ensure you don’t have any dental problems requiring treatment beforehand.
For example, any gum problems, failing dental restorations, or cavities must be treated first to ensure you can whiten comfortably and safely.
Step Two: Professional Teeth Cleaning (In-Office and Custom Home Whitening Kit)
We recommend you see our hygiene team to have your teeth professionally cleaned before your whitening treatment. A professional dental cleaning removes all plaque and tartar buildup, allowing whitening gels to penetrate your tooth enamel more easily and effectively.
Step Three: Treatment Application
In Office Teeth Whitening
Before we begin your teeth whitening treatment, we will protect your gums and lips. Hydrogen peroxide, a professional-strength whitening gel, is applied to your teeth and activated with light. This helps the whitening gel penetrate your tooth enamel more quickly and effectively, lifting deep-seated stains.
During your treatment, we may remove and reapply the whitening gel several times to achieve the desired outcome. At the end of your treatment, we will assess your tooth color. You may notice your teeth continue to whiten for several days afterward as the tooth enamel settles down.
Custom Home Whitening Kit
A detailed dental impression is taken of your teeth to create custom whitening trays. We will show you how to fill the trays, insert and remove them, and maintain their cleanliness.
Our cosmetic dentist will discuss how long you should wear the trays, as some people prefer to wear them overnight, while others opt to leave them in for a few hours daily.
We will prescribe the correct strength of carbamide peroxide whitening gel. This can be adjusted to account for any tooth sensitivity, so if you have very sensitive teeth, you can whiten more slowly and comfortably using a lower strength whitening gel.
It typically takes two weeks to whiten your teeth with a custom home kit. When the results need to be topped up, we can supply additional carbamide peroxide for use in your whitening trays.
Post-Treatment Care & Maintenance After Teeth Whitening
After your treatment, we will provide you with guidance on how to care for your smile. You can brush and floss your teeth as usual, and there should be no significant sensitivity.
Treatment will leave your tooth enamel slightly porous for several days, so it’s important to avoid highly colored foods that could stain it. We can advise you on which foods to avoid and when it is safe to resume your normal diet.
FREQUENTLY Asked Questions
How Long Will Teeth Whitening Last?
You can expect the results to last several months or longer. It all depends on your lifestyle habits, as smoking, eating, and drinking highly colored foods will stain your teeth more quickly.
Generally, a professional in-office whitening treatment will last a bit longer than using a home whitening kit. Some people may wish to combine both treatments to achieve longer-lasting results affordably.
We can advise you on how frequently you can safely top up the results of your professional teeth whitening in Brooklyn.
Is Teeth Whitening Safe for Sensitive Teeth?
We ensure treatment is as safe and as comfortable as possible. During your dental exam, we can determine if your teeth are sensitive and, if so, recommend that you whiten your teeth more slowly using a lower-strength gel.
Our professional-strength whitening gels contain ingredients specially designed to minimize sensitivity and may include fluoride to help strengthen tooth enamel.
Will Teeth Whitening Work on Crowns or Veneers?
Teeth whitening will not work on any dental restorations, such as crowns, veneers, bridges, or white fillings. It can only brighten the color of natural teeth.
We will check for any restorations during your initial dental exam and may recommend that you replace these after tooth whitening. Once you have achieved a brighter, whiter smile, we can match your new restorations precisely so they blend in perfectly.
How White Will My Teeth Get?
A professional teeth whitening treatment can restore your teeth to their former color. It may not be possible to achieve a bright white shade.
Overusing whitening products will not achieve a bright white smile and can overbleach your teeth, causing them to become dull, lifeless, and gray. Additionally, you risk damaging your teeth and gums.
Generally, when you see someone with perfectly bright white teeth, they have likely undergone another treatment, such as porcelain veneers. If this is your aim, we can discuss a suitable treatment with you.
Why Choose a Professional Teeth Whitening Treatment?
If you care about your dental health, a professional teeth whitening treatment is the safest and most effective way to brighten your smile. We ensure that this treatment will not damage your teeth and is very affordable.
A whiter, brighter smile is just a visit away at VITAdent practice on Avenue X in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn (11235). Under the care of Dr. Igor Levin, DDS, your teeth whitening treatment will be both safe and effective. Call (718) 766-0002 to book your appointment.