Whitening

Teeth whitening is a cosmetic dental procedure that helps to improve the appearance of your smile. It involves the application of bleaching agents on the surface of one's teeth to remove their staining. The procedure is a quick and effective way to improve your smile. 

What causes stains on the teeth? 

The teeth tend to stain due to one or more reasons, such as: 

• The consumption of colored foods and beverages, such as red wine, berries, etc. 
• Smoking cigarettes, cigars, and chewing tobacco is a common reason for staining of the teeth. Cigarette smoke contains thousands of chemicals that color the teeth.
• The teeth may stain when you are ill or have a high fever. Excessive plaque accumulation on the teeth is a leading cause of staining. 
• Excessive exposure to sunlight can also discolor the teeth over time. 
• In some cases, it may be caused due to an underlying medical condition. 

What is the procedure involved in teeth whitening? 

Teeth whitening can be performed in a dentist's clinic under professional supervision. The procedure typically takes about an hour to complete. You will have to visit our dental practice twice for the procedure. For your first appointment, you will have to prepare yourself by following several precautions: 

• You will be asked not to consume foods or beverages for at least 2 hours before your appointment. 
• It is advisable not to use any whitening products on your teeth in advance. 
• You may be asked not to use any topical medications in your mouth before your appointment. 
• It is important that you do not drink any alcoholic beverage 24 hours before your appointment. 

Once you reach our dental practice, we will clean your mouth thoroughly before beginning the process of teeth whitening. We will isolate the teeth to be treated by using a rubber dam, which prevents any contact with saliva, food, or other substances that can interfere with the process of bleaching. We will apply a whitening gel containing hydrogen peroxide to the teeth and spread it evenly across all surfaces of the tooth crowns and tooth roots. The gel will have to stay on your teeth for 15 minutes, during which time it will break down the stains deposited on them and transform them into oxygen molecules. 

Once this process is complete, we will rinse off the gel and repeat it multiple times if we feel that you can benefit from deeper levels of whitening. We will then take digital photos of your teeth and show them to you for comparison after a few days or when you visit us for your next appointment. We also make available impressions of your smile pre-treatment and post-treatment so that you can compare changes visually by looking at them every few days after each treatment session. The results are long-lasting if you maintain good oral hygiene and care for your teeth after treatment. 

Please reach out to Dicus Family Dentistry at 15 McCabe Drive, #201, Reno, NV 89511, to have a consultation with our dentist. Call us at (775) 828-7246 or schedule an online consultation, and we'll guide you further.