Thursday, August 21, 2014

Take-Home Tray Whitening

Even with consistent brushing and good oral care, teeth can lose their color. Today, patients have many options when it comes to teeth whitening that include over-the-counter options and professional options that include either in-office or take-home systems. At our San Lorenzo, CA practice, Lewelling Dental Care, we offer our patients custom tray whitening to help improve the cosmetic appearance of their teeth. Having teeth professionally whitened is an excellent way to restore the natural color of teeth quickly and effectively.
 
When it comes to whitening your smile, we will first need to determine whether your teeth are intrinsically or extrinsically stained. Intrinsic stains are on the surface, having barely penetrated the enamel. They are caused by staining agents like coffee or smoking; they can also be caused by old-age. These stains are reversible through take-home tray whitening.  Extrinsic stains develop from the inside of the teeth and are often caused by more permanent staining agents like antibiotics. With an extrinsic stain, the teeth are darkened as a result of bacteria buildup and cannot be reversed by whitening alone.
 
Traditional tray systems include a custom-fitted mouth tray that the patient wears for a period of 40-45 minutes for a few days. We will take a mold of your mouth in order to create a custom-fit mouth tray. You will apply the gel treatment to the mouth trays and wear it for approximately 45 minutes a day. The amount of days the mouth tray is worn depends on how white you want your teeth to be. This often results in a whiter smile of 4-8 shades in just a few days. 

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