When it comes to your smile, there are a few words you want to associate with it, like bright, radiant, or glowing. There’s an amazing tool we use at Germantown Dental Group to make these descriptions a reality. We’re going to let you know how teeth whitening can quickly brighten and enhance your smile.
Your Smile, But Better
What are some of the main reasons our patients ask for teeth whitening treatment? There can be short-term or long-term goals—but regardless of why you choose this route, Dr. Whittemore and Dr. Gruen’s impeccable attention to detail ensures that you’ll receive the best results in Memphis!
- A Confidence Boost: People often underestimate the true power and impact of their smile. When you’re unhappy with how it looks, it can make you smile less and be uncomfortable in social situations. A more radiant smile can change this!
- Special Events: Many patients will come to us before events like weddings or graduations to have brighter teeth in photoshoots. Again, this is great for confidence and making perfect memories.
- Reverse Aging Effects: Over time, tooth enamel naturally thins, revealing the yellowish dentin beneath and making teeth appear less white. Tooth whitening reverses this effect and can make for a younger appearance overall.
Defying Dullness
Before we talk about how we counter it, let’s dive into the causes behind dull, discolored teeth. If you’re experiencing this, don’t feel bad about it—it’s quite common, and completely reversible.
- A Natural Part of Aging: Bad Oral Hygiene: Poor brushing and flossing habits can lead to plaque and tartar buildup, contributing to surface stains, unevenness, and white spots in the enamel.
- Staining from Food/Drink: Popular drinks like coffee, tea, and red wine, as well as foods with strong pigments such as berries or curry, can gradually stain teeth over time.
- Tobacco: Tar and nicotine exposure from smoking or chewing tobacco is a common cause of yellow and brown staining on teeth. This can also contribute to foul breath.
- Discoloration from Medications: Certain medications, like tetracycline antibiotics, can impact your tooth color (which can be reversed by our treatments).
The Teeth Whitening Process
Germantown Dental Group stands apart from other providers since we use both in-office Zoom! whitening treatment and at-home tooth whitening trays, based on patient preference and effectiveness for each individual case.
- Whitening Gel Application: We begin by carefully isolating your teeth from your lips and gums and applying a whitening gel.
- Light Activation: A special light then activates the gel and starts to remove deep stains from your teeth.
- Customizable Options: These sessions can be done as many times as we deem necessary to get you to your desired shade. The transformation is truly astonishing and can be done in a single appointment.
- Touch-Ups: We’ll also give you at-home whitening trays so that you can perform touch-ups to your brighter smile in the long term.
You can also elect to use our customizable trays at home for your whitening treatment. We’ll fabricate a mold of your teeth that you’ll use to remotely enhance your smile, with us overseeing the process alongside you.
Frequently Asked Questions
At Germantown Dental Group, we try to make a point of educating and informing all of our patients when they’re curious or uncertain. Answering these three questions can be very helpful to patients ahead of whitening treatment!
Q: Can I just buy this treatment at the drugstore?
We discourage patients from trying to tackle teeth whitening without any professional intervention. It can lead to uneven whitening, excessive sensitivity, or other issues that can be even harder for us to fix.
Q: How long will my results last?
The longevity of your results depends on how well you care for your teeth, but they can last anywhere from six months to two years. To keep your smile bright, Germantown Dental Group suggests practicing good oral hygiene, limiting consumption of staining beverages, and scheduling regular professional cleanings at our office.
Q: Does the whitening system work on all teeth?
Crowns, composite fillings, porcelain veneers, and other restorations are not affected by whitening treatment. Only natural teeth are responsive to the whitening gel and light activation.
Radiant Results
Our team is different from all the rest. You can discern this in our general preventative dental care, as well as during more specialized treatments like teeth whitening! Don’t think that just because many offices offer this kind of treatment, it’s the same everywhere. We assure you it isn’t!
Let us partner with you to build the smile of your dreams. Our Germantown office has a spot just for you!