Get a Whiter Smile Easily
posted: Jul. 11, 2018.
Does your smile look tired or worn due to its dull color? Luckily, you can repair your problem with a fast and easy procedure that takes place right inside your dentist’s office. Professional teeth whitening procedures provide big results in just a single dental visit. Learn more about professional teeth whitening, how it holds up against over-the-counter options, and what it can do for you with Dr. Ken Rothschild at Rothschild Dental in Leesburg, VA.
How does teeth whitening work?
During a teeth whitening appointment, your dentist will apply a whitening gel to your teeth and allow it to remain on the teeth for about an hour. Depending on the type of system your dentist uses, they may point a special UV light at your teeth to help with the whitening process. On the molecular level, the whitening gel reacts with your teeth’s stain’s molecules and breaks the bonds which hold them together. This dissipates the stain and improves the appearance of the stain.
Professional vs. Over-the-Counter Teeth Whitening Treatments
Though over-the-counter whitening treatments do produce some results, the chemical makeup cannot be as strong as when it is monitored by your dentist. This makes in-office treatments more precise and allows them to produce more dramatic results. Over-the-counter whitening treatments take weeks or months of continuous use to produce results while an in-office treatment takes only about an hour and can lighten the color of your teeth up to ten shades.
Teeth Whitening in Leesburg, VA
Teeth whitening can help almost anyone improve the appearance of their smile, but not everyone is a good candidate. For example, teeth whitening cannot change the color of porcelain. This means that patients with porcelain dental restorations in visible areas of their smile may end up with an uneven colored smile if they do not alert their dentist that they have restorations. A good candidate for teeth whitening should also be in good dental health with no signs of teeth decay or gum disease. Your dentist will need to treat these issues before administering any teeth whitening treatments.
For more information on teeth whitening, please contact Dr. Rothschild at Rothschild Dental in Leesburg, VA. Call (703) 777-3150 to schedule your appointment today!