Patients who have never experienced teeth whitening come in with a lot of questions for Dr. DuBois. Here are some of the questions we receive most often, along with their answers.
Do Drugstore Teeth Whitening Products Work?
Some patients wonder about the fact that they’ve been using whitening toothpaste for years, but they still experience discoloration. Drugstore teeth whitening products like whitening toothpaste, whitening strips, and whitening kits do contain chemicals that remove surface stains. You will see some improvement when used according to package directions. However, those ingredients are much less concentrated than what’s available when you visit Comfort Smiles and turn teeth whitening over to Dr. DuBois and staff.
Strips and kits might lighten teeth a few shades over repeated uses. One of the problems is people don’t see benefits quickly, so they don’t use them consistently. Comfort Smiles uses a high concentration of bleaching ingredients to get you a dramatically whiter smile in one visit.
How Does Professional Teeth Whitening Work?
Stains happen when patients eat or drink things with colored molecules that stick to oral surfaces. Regular cleaning removes plaque and tartar, but sometimes teeth are still discolored. At Comfort Smiles, we can apply a bleaching solution to teeth that breaks apart stains and gives you a brilliant white smile.
Does Teeth Whitening Damage Teeth?
No, the teeth whitening ingredients we use are safe for your enamel and dental work. They don’t cause an increase in cavity risk or tooth fractures.
What About Veneers or Implants?
Teeth whitening doesn’t damage porcelain veneers or crowns, but it also will not bleach them. Whitening only affects natural teeth. If you’re worried your teeth might not match after whitening, we can help you evaluate your options for getting a smile that looks as great as it feels.
Does Teeth Whitening Hurt?
Some of the key ingredients in whitening products can sometimes cause sensitivity. You may feel a mild ache during teeth whitening, and have some hot and cold sensitivity for a few days after the procedure. Both are short-term.
Our priority at Comfort Smiles is always to keep patients pain-free. If you start to experience discomfort during any procedure, let us know right away and we will adjust your treatment to improve comfort.
How Long Does Teeth Bleaching Last?
That depends on you. Some foods stain teeth, and so do some habits. If you avoid foods like coffee, tea, red wine, and berries, and you also don’t smoke, teeth whitening effects can last up to three years. It also helps to brush your teeth twice a day. When you come to us for teeth whitening, we’ll go over how to make your results last as long as possible.
Are Teeth Whitening Ingredients Toxic?
No. You don’t have to worry about swallowing small amounts of the ingredients Comfort Smiles uses for teeth whitening. They are 100 percent safe when used as directed.
How Do I Get Teeth Whitening?
Call Comfort Smiles Dentistry and Dr. DuBois or contact us online to schedule teeth whitening and in one session you could completely transform the color of your teeth.
