Teeth Whitening in Bellevue – What To Know Before You Start

In our dental office, we perform teeth whitening in Bellevue and as such, get asked a lot of questions about what the procedures entail.  Many of our patients want to know what the differences are between the procedures we perform and what they can buy at the store.  This is normal, and before you decide which way to go, it helps to know the facts.  Here is the good, the bad, and the truth about teeth whitening.

The Good

When you schedule a professional whitening procedure, your teeth will whiten by at least eight shades.  That’s because the solution we use is stronger than what you can buy in the store, and it penetrates below the surface of the enamel to target and eliminate the dark stains underneath.  This is done by changing the molecular makeup of your teeth so that they reflect less color and, therefore, appear to be colorless or whiter.  This is opposed to what you can buy in the store, where the solutions typically only remove the surface stains.   Fortunately, if you want your teeth to look whiter in a way that is fast, safe, and effective – we can help.

The Bad

A lot of teeth whitening products make claims regarding how they can transform your smile and remove dark stains.  More often than not, those claims are simply that – claims.  In reality, they may whiten your teeth but only slightly which leaves many people feeling disappointed. The risk here is that people tend to repeat the procedure, thinking that they did something wrong.  In all actuality, it is usually the product that has simply reached the capacity of what it can achieve and by redoing the treatment, you put your teeth at risk for sensitivity.  This is fairly common with at-home whitening programs.  People use too much of the solution and repeat the procedure so often that the enamel on the outside of the teeth starts to erode and create lasting sensitivity issues.  We recommend that if you don’t like the results, you call us for teeth whitening in Bellevue.  After examining your teeth, we can let you know when and if it is safe to whiten them again.

Another challenge that people have is a simple lack of effectiveness due to how the solution is applied.  For example, in order for a whitening solution to work, it must remain on the teeth long enough to start removing the stains.  If you use a whitening toothpaste, pen, or strips that slide off – the solution is only there for a short period of time.  This means that the teeth won’t get as white as you want them to be.  Also, if you buy whitening trays in the store, the solution is apt to leak out of the trays and into the back of your mouth.  This can be uncomfortable and gross, leading many people to give up altogether.  We can prevent this problem by creating customized teeth whitening trays that fit your teeth perfectly, without the leakage.

The Beautiful

If you want a lovely smile, we can give you one.  Simply schedule a teeth whitening in Bellevue for the best possible results.