Teeth Whitening Dentist Royal Palm Beach

If you have heard or noticed firsthand, some bleaching systems utilize a light source and others do not. What is the difference? A light source claims to be more effective. If so, why is it not used in all systems?

The truth is that despite what you may have been reading or believing, there is not a single research document confirming that a light source will enhance the effectiveness of your treatment! In fact, published clinical studies, not funded by bleaching light manufacturers, have shown that light raise the temperature of your tooth by a few degrees just enough that it could cause unnecessary irritation and post-op sensitivity. There are research documents confirming this finding. If you are getting whitening without a light source, rest assured that it will not have any impact at all on the whitening results.

You probably have noticed brand name whitening gels being sold online such as on eBay or Amazon, but are they actually safe? And how can the seller offer those for less than what the manufacturer sells those to dental offices?! And how did the online seller even managed to obtain those products when the federal law prohibits selling those to anyone but to a dental professional?

Honestly, whitening gels are safe. It is not so much about safety but rather what you are actually buying. Some are counterfeit; others are from the gray market. These are products that were shipped to another country. Anything that does not get sold can be shipped back to the US. It is not clear what the shipping conditions will be. In order to cut down the cost, those gels will most likely be stored and shipped in containers with less than ideal conditions, such as being stored in containers without proper temperature regulation where the inside temperature could climb drastically.

Further, the chemicals inside the whitening gels are sensitive and will deteriorate over time. Ideally you want fresh gels. Once the shipment makes it to the US, the content is distributed to small vendors. You, as a buyer, will have no way of knowing if what you are buying is actually of acceptable quality or not. For all you know, it could be an old product that will not whiten your teeth as effectively.

The general misconception is to use the strongest gel possible, because it must be better to whiten teeth. And why should I wear the trays for 6 hours when it can be done in 20 minutes.

Have you ever tried to get a stain off your clothes? Have you noticed that leaving the stain remover for a longer period of time does a better job breaking down the stain? The same concept applies to teeth. Low strength gels have more contact time to remove stubborn stains. They will slowly but effectively remove deeper stains; the results will last for a longer period of time; and they have the least amount of post-op sensitivity.

Higher concentration gels do work very well and will give you faster whitening results; the final color is less stable and will rebound much faster; and you will be more likely to have unnecessary teeth sensitivity.

We usually recommend wearing the trays for as long as you can tolerate, and we will match the appropriate gel strength to your individual tolerance level.

For maximum effectiveness, trays should be worn for the recommended length of time continuously for 2 weeks. However, if you are experiencing too much sensitivity, you can stop the process for a day or two and continue. You should also talk to your dentist. You may be given desensitizer. You could also start using anti-sensitivity tooth paste 2 weeks prior and during your whitening. In extreme sensitivity cases, your dentist should fabricate trays to be used with anti-sensitivity toothpaste for 15 minutes a day. This tray option is the best approach to combat sensitivity.

It varies for each individual and it depends on the gel strength. The higher the concentration, the faster the color will rebound. Also, your diet will play a role. If you consume high staining foods; such as: tea, coffee, soda, red wine, etc., expect faster stain formation. Most people will need to touch up their teeth by wearing the trays 1 to 2 days every month. Avoid staining foods during the whitening treatment and for 2-3 days post whitening.

Generally, it is suggested to wear the trays for 2 weeks. It varies from person to person. Some have to wear the trays for 3-4 weeks to notice a significant improvement. You could also try to whiten one arch at a time and use the opposing arch as a comparison. If you whiten both arches and look at your teeth 10 times a day, it is difficult to truly judge how much whiter they have become.

Not really. Teeth will only whiten so much. Eventually the color will not change any more. You will only be wasting the gel and experience unnecessary sensitivity.

First of all, you only want to place the gel on the side of the tray that becomes in contact with your tooth. You also would want to skip those teeth that have a crown as they will not whiten. Mark those teeth on the tray and do not place any gel.

Lower front teeth are much smaller and 1 drop with probably suffice. Upper front teeth and all back teeth are slightly larger and would need a couple of drops of gel. The first few days, it is a trial and error approach. If you do not see any excess gel being extruded from the edge of the tray, you probably put too little. And if there is too much extrusion, then you put too much and are wasting the gel. Ideally you only want to see a very slight amount of excess extruding from the edge of the tray.