Nowadays, brightening up your smile is an easy way to boost confidence and quickly improve the appearance of your teeth. Tooth whitening is a relatively non-invasive process that can quickly transform the look of your pearly whites and it’s fast become a popular treatment. While there are a number of DIY kits to be found in your local drugstore, whitening should be done in a professional setting for the best results. As well as choosing the right shade for your smile, there are several other things to consider, such as lifestyle and longevity. So to ensure that you end up with a positive experience with tooth whitening, NYC professional dentists are the way to go.
How it works
The goal of tooth whitening (your dentist will be able to explain all of this to you during your appointment) is simply to remove stains at a molecular level. This is where a professional whitening treatment differs from the DIY kind. Dentists will typically use hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide, which will erode the molecular stains on your enamel with oxygen molecules, whereas over-the-counter kits tend to be abrasive and can cause damage.
The benefit of getting professional treatment is that the process is a lot quicker. This is mostly because, in the office, a higher percentage of hydrogen peroxide can be used safely on each isolated tooth. Your dentist will often use an LED or UV light to activate the gel that has been applied.
What will happen
Now you know how it works, here’s an overview of how long the process will take. As we mentioned before, it’s pretty quick thanks to the efficiency of professional treatment but there are still several steps to go through to achieve the look that you desire.
Your first appointment for tooth whitening (NYC based) will involve choosing a shade from a chart. Your dentist will be able to help you find the right color for you.
The next step is all about preparing your teeth for treatment. This will involve a pumice tool to polish the enamel and remove any plaque.
Once these steps have been completed and your gums are protected with a rubber dam, the whitening process will begin. Your dentist will apply the gel and, if using, will expose your teeth to the LED light – this is what helps speed up the process. The gel will be left on for 15 minutes at a time and the entire appointment should last up to an hour and a half.
Tooth whitening is now a popular and common treatment, which makes it even more important to find a reputable professional to carry out your appointments. However, once you’ve found the right dentist for you, you’ll have bright pearly whites in no time at all! Just be sure to do your research so that you can go into the process confidently and if you have any questions, your dentist will be able to help.
Author Plate
Ellen Smythe is a Practice Manager at Smile Arts of NY, a dental office that provides the best care (including emergency treatments) and advanced modern cosmetic dental procedures, including teeth whitening, porcelain crowns, veneers, Invisalign and dental implants. Often referred to by patients as providing the best teeth whitening NYC, has on offer, they have been helping New York City residents achieve the look they’ve always wanted with their state-of-the-art, affordable dental services since 2010.