Teeth Whitening

A Smile That's Worth 1000 Words

Make Your Smile Picture Perfect

Most people would like to be able to smile with confidence, knowing their teeth are white, shiny, and healthy looking. And one of the most popular, effective and safe means of achieving this is through dentist-supervised tooth whitening. As far as safety, recent studies have proven supervised whitening to be both safe and effective; several of the required products have also received The American Dental Association's seal of approval. Occasionally, patients may notice slight gum irritation or tooth sensitivity during the process, but this disappears when the treatment ends.

Successful & Satisfying

If you're considering whitening your teeth, simply talk with Dr. Henbest regarding how the process could impact your particular situation. Typically, we like to spend time determining your objectives, evaluating your teeth for whitening potential. While nearly anyone can benefit from whitening, there are some people who are simply better candidates than others for a dramatically successful treatment. For example, if your teeth are darkened to a yellow, brownish or orange tinge due to age, coffee, tea, or smoking, chances are very good that you'll be very satisfied with the results of your whitening. In fact, about 90 percent of patients find this to be the case. However, if your teeth are a dark gray tone from fluorosis, smoking or tetracycline use, whitening results may be less dramatic. Further, it's important to know that whitening does not lighten artificial materials such as resins, silicants or porcelains. Finally, sensitive teeth, teeth with periodontal disease, and teeth with worn enamel typically do not respond well to whitening.  If teeth whitening isn't appropriate for your teeth, we can also talk to you about porcelain veneer application as a means of obtaining a beautiful, dramatically white smile.

Simple & Systematic

We offer a simple, supervised at-home whitening process, requiring a few separate steps. First, Dr. Henbest or one of our hygienists will make impressions of your teeth. We send this to a dental laboratory to create a comfortable, lightweight, customized whitening 'tray' appliance. These thin trays are easy to wear night or day, during conversation, working, sleeping, etc. Upon receipt of the trays and usage instructions, we'll also provide you with all the proper whitening materials and a list of recommended session lengths. Typically, a system including two to four 'treatment' hours per day will require two to four weeks to complete; those including nighttime wear may be completed within 10 to 14 days.

Spectacular, Shiny Smile

Although we can't predict exactly how light your teeth will become, we generally expect to see a two-shade improvement as indicated on Dr. Henbest's shade guide. Of course, you can best preserve your new, brighter smile by eliminating habits such as smoking, drinking coffee, and drinking tea. If you do notice that your teeth are less bright in one to five years, you can choose to have a touch-up. In fact, the second procedure is usually less costly than the first, as the original whitening trays may often be reused. Second treatments generally require less treatment time, as well.

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