The cosmetic dental treatment known as ‘whitening’ is used to brighten the tooth enamel. Pigmentation, tea, age, coffee, tobacco, red wine or medications such as tetracycline are just some of the causes of discolored or stained teeth.
The whitening process uses a peroxide gel added to a mouth guard-like tray to ensure direct contact with the tooth surface.
At-Home Whitening
Your dentist may recommend an at-home teeth whitening kit. Depending on the desired results, at-home whitening can take 10-15 treatments but is more cost effective than in-office whitening.
An at-home whitening kit uses a 10% carbamide peroxide solution and a custom made mouth guard so the solution stays in contact with the enamel of your teeth.
Once the desired results have been achieved, you may want to do a ‘touch-up’ once or twice a year to maintain your beautiful smile!