A beautiful smile can radiate confidence. According to studies, hiring managers prefer people with bright, white smile and generally offer them a higher salary. People with dull or lackluster smiles often don’t experience the same benefits. Additionally, research also indicates that people whom smiled in their high school yearbook photo typically went on to earn more than their classmates. Clearly, smiling is important. Additional research indicates that smiling can positively impact a person’s mood. Self-esteem levels can also be linked to smiling. Tooth whitening can add life and shine to a fading smile. Many people suffer from craze lines, staining, or discoloration of teeth. Your Lake Orion dentist, Dr. Brad Greenfield, outlines how to safely whiten teeth at home.
Advantages of Home Teeth Whitening
Whitening teeth at home used to sound like something out of a fairy tale or a Hollywood dream. However, grocery stores and pharmacies now provide a plethora of whitening options to patients. Although these products enable people to whiten teeth at home, they don’t provide professional-strength results or optimal hardware. Many over-the-counter whitening options offer a single –size bleaching tray and consumer strength whitening gel.
Patients often report minor gum irritation when using store-bought kits. Because of the single-size bleaching tray hardware, patients’ gums become exposed to errant bleaching gel. Typically, gum irritation will subside within a few days of use. With dentist-prescribed bleaching kits, patients receive custom-fit bleaching trays and professional-strength gel. Custom-fit trays enable our gel to make optimal contact with teeth and reduce the risk of gum irritation.
Light-Activated Teeth Whitening?
Rapid whitening results typically come at the hands of light-activated bleaching systems. Although these systems are safe, they can result in increased tooth sensitivity following the bleaching procedure. Most patients report sensitivity lasting roughly 48 hours. Although some patients report tooth sensitivity from prescribed at-home bleaching kits, minor modifications in frequency of use and exposure time could reduce tooth sensitivity. Results from at-home teeth whitening systems usually occur within one or two weeks.
Schedule Your Teeth Whitening Visit
Interested in whitening teeth from the comfort of your own home? At Lake Orion Family Dentistry, we provide at-home teeth whitening and comprehensive dental care for the whole family. Contact our Lake Orion cosmetic dental office by calling (248) 693-6213 to schedule an appointment today. We proudly serve families from Lake Orion, Clarkston, Auburn Hills, Oxford, and Rochester Hills, the 48360 zip code, as well as many other areas in southeast Michigan.
