Photos: Before and After

Bleaching Description

Tooth Whitening

Bleaching teeth to get them white has become increasingly popular. Today’s bleaching agents are safer and more effective than previous agents. In general, bleaching is a very safe, inexpensive, and effective cosmetic treatment. People, however, are often dissatisfied with the results. The reason for this is that they have unrealistic expectations. Many expect their teeth to be as white as copy paper after the procedure. Even at their whitest, however, your teeth can not approach this degree of whiteness. Its just not the way nature made teeth to look!

The best rule of thumb is that the whitest your teeth can possibly become is as white as the whites of your eyes!
For people who have really yellow teeth what you can expect is a result that is about two shades whiter than what you have now. Even with the most sophisticated bleaching systems, there is a variability in results - 3 shades whiter to no change at all. As this is a cosmetic procedure, the bleaching cannot guarantee you a specific result.

How Long Does Bleaching Last?

How long does the bleaching last? We like to compare bleaching to a face lift. Even the best face lifts deteriorate with time but you still look better 10 years later than if you didn’t have one in the first place.

What cosmetic surgery and bleaching have in common is that they take off the perception of aging and take years off your appearance. Typically bleaching can last 10 years depending on whether or not you smoke, consume acid containing foods, or consume staining foods like red wines and coffee. Even though bleaching can fade, it still delays the eventual darkening that happens to us all.

Things to be Aware of

Some people have tooth colored fillings in their teeth that match their yellow teeth before the bleaching. After the bleaching, the teeth whiten but the fillings stay the same color. Consequently, these fillings will need to be replaced at an extra cost after the bleaching is completed.

Additionally, crowns or porcelain restorations in conspicuous areas will not lighten from bleaching and may not match the shade of your newly bleached teeth.

Another word of caution - those people with sensitive teeth should avoid bleaching procedures. Bleaching could increase the sensitivity of your teeth. Some people even experience extreme pain when bleaching sensitive teeth. If you have sensitive teeth but would still like to bleach your teeth, we suggest that you first correct the sensitivity problem.

With this being said lets examine some of the common dental bleaching techniques starting with bleaching techniques that occur in the dental office.