How can you brighten your smile?

Your wedding is coming up and you want your smile to be its brightest. Or maybe you have an important speaking engagement. Whatever the reason, tooth bleaching isn't just for the movie stars, and it isn't just for one day. Millions of people have had their teeth bleached, and probably millions more are thinking about it. The desire for whiter teeth is very strong, and tooth bleaching safely lightens the color of the teeth. The most effective and safest method of tooth bleaching is dentist-supervised.

Is bleaching for you?

Generally, bleaching is successful in at least 90 percent of patients. Consider tooth bleaching if your teeth are darkened from age, coffee, tea, or smoking. Teeth darkened with the color of yellow, brown or orange respond better to lightening. With whitening, the results can be dramatic. However, some stains caused by fluorosis, tatracyline or stains caused from high mineral content in water (found in West Texas drinking water) are harder to address. If you have very sensitive teeth, periodontal disease, or teeth with worn enamel, your dentist may discourage conventional bleaching. Using our in office whitening system, sensitive areas are covered with a protectant before the whitening agent is placed on the teeth.

What's involved?

First, Dr. Miller will record your medical history to determine whether you are a candidate for tooth bleaching and what type of bleaching system should be used. Dr. Miller's in office whitening system allows him to control the whitening process better. When using the conventional method, custom fitted trays, the whitening starts at the tip of the teeth and slowly migrates toward the gum-line. This and other problems can be eliminated with our in office whitening process.

How long does it last?

This process is permanent. It does not fade like a sun tan. The degree to which your teeth will remain white depends on your personal habits such as smoking and drinking coffee and tea. If you have regular cleaning appointments then the stains will not penetrate the deeper layers of the tooth.

What are realistic expectations?

No one can really predict how much lighter your teeth will become. Every case is different. However, typically there is a two-shade improvement as seen on a dentist's shade guide with a range of 1 to 4. The success rate depends upon the type of stain and your compliance. Bleaching can only provide a shift in color from gray to a lighter shade of gray, for example. Bleaching does not lighten artificial materials such as resins, silicates or porcelains: so it is important to consider whitening before any dental work is done on visible areas. Since whiteners do not whiten any dental work, whitening must be done first before the dental work is done so that the match can be optimized.

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