Here at Lanier Valley Dentistry we can brighten the appearance of your teeth and help your smile by removing discolorations and stains.
Teeth whitening is a dental procedure conducted to restore a pearly white color on teeth that have become discolored for one reason or the other.
Teeth whitening can be conducted as a supplement to your ordinary oral hygiene efforts.
The procedure seeks to remove any discoloration or stains that might be making your teeth look dull or unattractive.
Whitening is majorly a cosmetic procedure, although it also involves cleaning and removal of plaque and tartar.
Teeth Whitening Process
Our office and in-clinic whitening procedures are thorough and comprehensive.
Our dentist will first examine and prepare your teeth for whitening.
He/she might ask you a couple of questions seeking to understand what caused the staining or discoloration.
Restore Self Confidence With Your Dream Smile
Also, there are oral health conditions that might impact the outcome of a teeth whitening procedure.
Our dentists have to take account of your oral health condition before commencing the procedure.
For instance, if you have cavities, tooth decay, or receding gums, they have to be first treated before the whitening procedure is carried out.
Our dentist will photograph our teeth, to use the photo as a reference while monitoring the progress of the procedure.
He/she will then embark on the process of cleaning your teeth to remove any food deposits, plaque, tartar, and bacteria that might have accumulated.
All these substances contribute to staining and discoloration. The whitening procedure follows when all this is complete.
Tooth Whitening Procedure
Teeth whitening is carried out in two main types of procedures.
Vital whitening is carried out on teeth that have not undergone any invasive dental procedures before. These teeth still have live nerves.
Non-vital whitening is carried out on teeth that have had procedures such as root-canal procedures carried out on them and do not have any live nerves.
Vital Whitening
Vital Whitening involves the placement of a tooth whitening gel directly on the tooth surface.
The gel is laced with hydrogen peroxide, which is a bleaching agent.
A special laser is shown on to the gel to activate it.
This procedure takes between 30 and 90 minutes, depending on the severity of the tooth discoloration.
You may need between 1 and 3 appointments to completely whiten your teeth.
Non-Vital Whitening
Non-vital whitening is used on patients who have undergone root canal treatment.
For such people, vital whitening will not be effective since the discoloration stems from inside the tooth.
In such cases, our dentists use the non-vital whitening procedure that attacks the discoloration from inside the tooth.
The whitening gel is placed inside the tooth, and a temporary filling and cap is placed over it.
The gel is left to bleach the tooth for a couple of days.
This procedure might be carried out a couple of times until the tooth enamel attains the desired shade.
Note that teeth whitening should not be a one-off procedure, especially if you are constantly exposed to foods that stain, like coffee.
You have to go for the procedure periodically to maintain brightly colored teeth.
Teeth Whitening in Dacula
Contact Lanier Valley Dentistry at (678) 802-8654 today to schedule an appointment!
We are always happy to help people re-discover their smile and feel proud of themselves.
