Hi. I'm Dr. Saahil Trivedi from Preferred Dental Care. I want to answer any questions you might have about professional teeth whitening, also known as in-office teeth whitening, which is whitening done by dental professionals.
What is professional teeth whitening? How does it work?
Professional teeth whitening is the teeth whitening procedure that we deliver in a dental office under the supervision of trained professionals such as dentists or hygienists.
The way it works is we apply a very special gel to your teeth, and then using specific lights and different tools, we can actually make that gel work much better than it would work at home to get your teeth much brighter, much faster than if you were to do it by yourself at home.
Is it worth getting your teeth whitening?
The results from professional teeth whitening are significantly better than at-home teeth whitening. Your teeth will get significantly more white, and it'll be much faster and easier if you do it professionally versus at home. So, I definitely think that professional teeth whitening is worth it.
What type of problems does professional teeth whitening solve?
Professional teeth whitening can solve many problems related to the color of your teeth. Whether your teeth are yellowed or becoming dark or they're really just not as bright as you'd like them, maybe you have spots on your teeth. A lot of these issues can be solved by professional teeth whitening because we're able to get your teeth much whiter than just doing it at home.
What are the main causes of staining or discoloration?
Staining or tooth discoloration can happen due to many reasons. It can be due to habits such as smoking, consuming certain beverages, and eating foods like coffees, teas, and red wines. There are many different reasons that someone's teeth can stain or discolor.
The good news is a lot of the causes that create tooth staining and discoloration, that tooth staining and discoloration can be reversed and covered up with professional teeth whitening.
Is professional teeth whitening safe?
Patients often wonder whether professional teeth whitening is safe. And the good news is that it's completely safe. It's what we call a noninvasive procedure, so we don't do anything that permanently affects the tooth. What happens is the hygienist or the dentist, who are both trained professionals, will prepare the area. They're gonna protect your gums to make sure your gums are safe from the tooth whitening materials, the gels. We then cover the teeth with gels, in a very exact manner. And then we have very specific ways we do it in terms of how long we use the whitening lights and tools like that to make sure that we get the best possible result while also keeping you very safe.
The option that we use here at Preferred Dental Care professional teeth whitening is called Zoom whitening. We've tried many options for professional teeth whitening. We found that Zoom teeth whitening, which is one of the most popular teeth whitening options in the United States, seems to be the most efficient with the best results while also being fast and causing minimal to no discomfort for our patients.
What is the Zoom teeth whitening procedure?
The procedure for Zoom teeth whitening, which is what we use in our office, is very simple. You will come in, and we will make sure your teeth are clean. We want to know if you’ve had a cleaning recently. If you haven’t, we will do a teeth cleaning first.
After that, we will make sure your teeth are in good shape. You do need healthy teeth to get teeth whitening. After that, we will get you ready in the chair, and we will get all our materials ready. We have very special tooth whitening gels and special lights that work with those gels to give you the best possible results. The hygienist or the dentist, who are both trained professionals, will put a gel on top of your gums to make sure your gums are very protected during the process. We'll then paint the teeth with the gel, which is done very exactly and carefully.
After that, the light will be placed close to your mouth, and the light will be turned on. You sit back and relax while the light and the gel work together to get your teeth much lighter. Patients are often very surprised by how much brighter their teeth get by professional teeth whitening. We measure teeth whitening in terms of shades, and we get many, many shades brighter with professional teeth whitening. And it's many times more whitening power than at-home whitening!
How long does a teeth whitening appointment take?
A teeth whitening visit with Zoom teeth whitening usually takes anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours. Because usually, we do multiple rounds of the process to get you the best possible whitening result.
How long does teeth whitening last?
Patients often want to know how long their professional whitening treatment lasts. That's a really good question. We can get your teeth many shades whiter, much, much whiter with professional teeth whitening. But there are certain habits, such as drinking black coffee, black teas, red wine, and things like that that can, over time, again, make your teeth dark.
What we do at Preferred Dental Care is when you come for your Zoom whitening included in that cost, we give you at-home whitening trays. These are custom-made just for your teeth. It includes an at-home whitening gel. This whitening gel is not as powerful as what we use in the office because the ones we use in the office are powerful, and they need to be used by professionals.
But the beauty of it is, let's say your teeth are here in terms of whiteness. Well, then we can get the whitening of the teeth all the way up here with professional versus at home, they'd just be here. Then, you can maintain them at this level by doing at-home teeth whitening using the customized whitening trays and the whitening gel that we provide you.
Will whitening treatments damage my teeth?
Patients are often concerned if whitening treatments will damage their teeth, and that's a very good question. The most common issue I see from teeth whitening is really one or two days of sensitivity, and we can actually provide you with a special gel that you can use in the customized trays we'll also provide for you after the whitening to make sure your teeth aren't sensitive. Apart from that, there's really no damage caused to teeth during whitening because it's a procedure that works on the outer layer of the teeth only, and that's really it.
Can people with sensitive teeth get whitening?
Patients with sensitive teeth often wonder, “Can I get teeth whitening?” They may want whiter teeth, but they might be worried that if my teeth are already sensitive, will they be even more sensitive? And that's a great question.
Teeth whitening can sometimes cause teeth sensitivity for a day or two after the whitening procedure. But the good news is that sensitivity can usually be reduced by taking any over-the-counter pain medication that you would usually take for something like a headache or tooth pain. But also, as part of Zoom whitening, which is the model of whitening we use in our office, we give you customized trays, which are essentially plastic retainers for the teeth that you pop on. These retainers or trays serve two purposes. One, we'll give you a whitening gel to make sure that you can maintain your professionally whitened smile for a long time, but we can also give you an anti-sensitivity gel that you can put in the trays to use for the first day or two to help reduce the sensitivity significantly.
How much does teeth whitening cost?
Whitening costs can vary depending on the extent of the teeth that need to be whitened and the type of teeth whitening coming in. What I can say is come into the office, and we'll let you know what the best tooth whitening solution for you is.
What is the difference between teeth whitening and teeth bleaching?
Patients might often wonder what the difference is between teeth whitening and teeth bleaching. Is there a difference? And if yes, which one's better? Those two terms are really used interchangeably.
Teeth bleaching is an older term that was used for tooth whitening. Now we call it tooth whitening because we have specific gels that we use, and we use specific lights, and it's not really that we're bleaching the teeth. It's just that the term teeth bleaching came about because bleach tends to make things white, and so people viewed it as the same.
How can I prevent staining on my teeth?
Patients often want to know what they can do to prevent stains on their teeth in the first place. And that's a great way to think. It's a great question to ask. We found that there are certain factors that really cause teeth staining more than others. Smoking is definitely one of them and also causes other health issues. We also found that very dark beverages, such as black coffee with no milk, black tea, green tea, and red wine, can stain the teeth. So, what we recommend is if you're drinking tea or coffee, as much as possible, try to drink it through a straw or try to limit the amount of time it spends around your teeth because all those things can cause teeth staining. Also, very strongly colored foods if you eat it over and over again. Certain herbs and spices can also cause teeth staining, so it's just something to be aware of.
How can I maintain my whitening results?
Patients are so happy with the results after they get their teeth whitened that they want to know how they can maintain the results for a long time. That's a very good question. So, when you come in for whitening with our office, we will educate you on the steps to take after the whitening to keep that result for as long as possible. We'll educate you on what foods and drinks to avoid. And, also, the best part is we'll give you a customized retainer or a cover for your teeth, essentially, that you can pop on. This is used every few weeks overnight, and we give you an at-home whitening gel for maintenance to help make sure you're maintaining your new bright white smile.
So if you're interested in getting your teeth professionally whitened here with us at Preferred Dental Care, we've done this hundreds, if not thousands of times. We have amazing results. We'd love to help you get the smile of your dreams. Just give our office a call, and we'd love to get you in.
Professional Teeth-Whitening
Zoom™ Teeth Whitening:
- Now you can erase years of stains and discolorations from your teeth in about one hour with the Zoom™! tooth whitening system. The Zoom™! procedure is performed by a trained cosmetic Dentist or Dental Hygienist.
- We begin the process by professionally cleaning your teeth to remove any plaque or tartar.
- The dentist will then prepare your teeth to safely receive the treatment by applying a protective cover on the gums and lips.
- A hydrogen peroxide-based whitening gel is then applied to your teeth and a special laser light is shined on the teeth for 15-20 minutes.
- The gel is removed and then the process is done two more times (in the same visit).
- The hydrogen peroxide acts as a bleaching agent to whiten the tooth enamel (outer tooth layer) and dentin (tooth layer surrounding the pulp).
- The end result is beautiful white teeth!
Why teeth are white
The hard surface of a tooth is composed of two layers. The outermost layer is the enamel and the layer underneath is the dentin. The enamel is made up of calcium (the same thing which makes up our bones) and is naturally white in color. This is the primary reason that teeth are white.
Why teeth get discolored
Years of habits (cigarette smoking, tobacco use) and certain beverages (soda, juice, coffee, tea) can stain a person's teeth. In addition, some medications, past dental work, heredity and simply growing older can leave those once pearly whites looking not quite so appealing.
In addition, the dentin (which is the layer under the enamel), is darker and more yellow in color than the enamel. Enamel is somewhat translucent and therefore the color of the dentin (dark and yellow) can appear through the enamel. As the enamel gets worn down (this occurs over time or due to drinking and eating acidic foods), the dentin color shines through the enamel more and the tooth looks both darker and yellower.
The benefits of Teeth Whitening
A person's smile can have a very large impact on their life.
- 73% of Americans would be more likely to trust someone with a nice smile than someone with a good job, outfit, or car, but with a nice smile.
- 29% of Americans say the first aspect of someone's face they typically notice is his or her teeth, and 24% say this is also what they remember the most after meeting someone.
- Having an attractive smile is something important to many Americans. Close to three in five (57%) Americans would rather have a nice smile than clear skin. What's more, 87% would forego something for a year in order to have a nice smile for the rest of their life. More than one-third of these folks would give up dessert (39%) or vacations (37%).
- People with a nice smile are also more likely to get a job when compared to similarly-qualified candidates and are more likely to go on more dates.
- (Above data from the Invisalign Smile Study)
Risks of Home Remedies for Whiter Teeth
Recently a celebrity doctor recommended a simple at-home whitening formula. The recipe? Coat your teeth with a mixture of baking soda and lemon juice before brushing.
Does this really work? Well, it certainly may remove some stains. But unfortunately it can also be a recipe for disaster.
Lemon juice is an acid, so even though fruits are generally healthy, large concentrations of the juice can actually wear away enamel, the hard outer layer of your teeth. Once that erodes, not only are teeth quite unattractive, they are incredibly prone to cavities and difficult to repair.
Baking soda is an abrasive material, kind of like sandpaper. So even though in very small amounts it can polish your teeth nicely, use the wrong amount and you may as well be sanding your teeth away!
Our suggestion? Put the lemon in your tea and use baking soda in the kitchen! When it comes to whitening your teeth, your best bet is to ask a dental professional.
Why over the counter remedies do not work as well as you would like
Over-the-counter whitening toothpastes and whitening products from the drug store can do a decent job on lightly stained teeth, especially for those in their late teens and early twenties. But we find that most people who express the desire for whiter teeth need what only a dental office can offer.
It is like when you have a headache you can go to pharmacy and buy a pain killer drug without a prescription from your doctor. But if your pain is severe or the problem continues to happen, you need a medication with more power and that can only be prescribed by your medical doctor.
Similarly, the stain that you would like to remove cannot be removed with mild over-the-counter solutions. You need professional-grade whitening gel, applied under the supervision of a trained dental professional.
When it comes to dental advice, please ask a member of the dental profession!
We wish you a beautiful smile!
See What our Patients are Saying about Zoom Teeth Whitening at Preferred Dental Care in Flushing!
"Almost three years ago, my teeth looked very bad. Everyone can see my teeth and I didn't feel comfortable. After I came to Preferred Dental Care, it helped a lot. My smile looked better than ever. The dentists working here were very helpful and hard-working." -Nikkita K
"Zoom whitening treatment took about an hour but it was great! The PDC staff are always so helpful and professional. I highly recommend them. Keep up the good work!" -Doris.
"I have been a patient at Preferred Dental Care for over ten yrs. Through the years I have always received professional and courteous service at Preferred Dental. Today I had the opportunity to do the zoom treatment which was absolutely amazing! I felt very little discomfort and I achieved incredible results. My smile is beautiful and bright! I am extremely satisfied. Thank You Irene and Preferred Dental." -Mayra C.
Getting to Preferred Dental Care
Use the Google Map here to plan your route via driving or public transportation. We're easilly accessible in Flushing, College Point, Whitestone, Floral Park, Fresh Meadows, Murray Hill, Little Neck, Great Neck, and Kew Gardens. We even provide free parking in our driveway.
Contact Preferred Dental Care today at (718) 445-7600 to hear more about Professional Teeth Bleaching and our other Cosmetic Dental services and experience the difference a well-trained, caring dentist can make in your life. New Patients are always welcome and we work with many insurance plans. You'll never regret choosing us! Preferred Dental Care serves General Dentistry, Cosmetic Dentistry, and Emergency Dental Care in the following locations of Queens NY: Bayside, Little Neck, Fresh Meadows, Elmhurst, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Woodhaven, College Point, and Whitestone with state-of-the-art amenities and top-quality dental treatments.