Teeth Whitening Treatments: DIY vs. Professional
While a great deal of oral hygiene focuses on tooth and gum health, some treatments are predominantly cosmetic. When it comes to cosmetic dentistry, the primary benefits are psychological ones, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Everyone deserves to feel like their best self and pearly white teeth can be a huge confidence booster. Getting a smile makeover with treatments like professional teeth whitening can significantly enhance your smile and bolster your self image. When you like the way you look, that self-assurance carries over into other aspects of your life.
Understanding What Stains Teeth
Over time our teeth become stained by the things we eat and drink. While the worst culprits are drinks like coffee, tea, cola and wine, food and other beverages can cause discoloration on the surface of the teeth. This is what’s called extrinsic staining, meaning the outside of the tooth is stained as opposed to intrinsic staining where problems arise internally. Extrinsic staining is often far easier to treat than intrinsic and isn’t quite as alarming. Most solutions to extrinsic stains are topical and low impact, while intrinsic staining can be indicative of more serious underlying conditions. If you want to know more about what stains teeth, Richmond, VA’s cosmetic dentists at Brightwork Family Dentistry are more than happy to assess your teeth and determine the causes and explain how professional teeth whitening can help remove tooth stains.
What’s the Best Teeth Whitening Treatment?
The market offers a number of teeth whitening products for at-home solutions and these options are tempting because they save you a trip to the dentist, but that apparent convenience may not be worth it. “The tooth whitening you receive at a dentist’s office is much more efficient than whitening toothpaste, oral rinses, and whitening strips available at your local drugstore,” says Dr. Benjamin Crowley of Brightwork Family Dentistry. The internet is full of alternatives to professional teeth whitening treatments. Recent trends on TikTok have spread home remedies for removing tooth stains, from mixing mouthwash with hydrogen peroxide and baking soda to creating purees with kiwi and cucumber. While these may seem like appealing cheap alternatives, there’s no replacement for diagnosis and treatment by a trained medical professional.
How Does Profession Teeth Whitening Remove Tooth Stains?
The dentists at Brightwork use the Opalescence teeth whitening system for its efficacy and longevity. A gel is mixed and applied directly to the teeth with a syringe to ensure even and thorough distribution throughout the mouth. After one of our dentists has applied the gel, there is a waiting period while the Opalescence system removes stains from the tooth enamel. Aside from the obvious cosmetic benefits, this process also strengthens tooth enamel and helps prevent cavities in the future. Unlike store-bought options, our teeth whitening treatments will last up to three years without needing to continually pay for at-home solutions to remove tooth stains.
Is Profession Teeth Whitening Worth It?
Compared to at-home whitening solutions, teeth whitening treatments in a dentist’s office use a more effective process, are safer for your teeth and deliver longer-lasting results. At Brightwork Family Dentistry, we want you to feel great about your smile. Our number one priority is oral health, but while we keep teeth clean and strong why not make them shine? We know that the impact of cosmetic dentistry can make a huge difference in your life. While it may be tempting to try at-home solutions, none of them will beat the efficiency and long-lasting benefits of the best teeth whitening treatments using Opalescence.
Interested in getting the best teeth whitening treatment possible? Book a consultation with Richmond, VA’s cosmetic dentists at Brightwork today!
