Are you uncomfortable smiling or talking in public because you feel uncomfortable about your discolored smile? Whether your teeth are discolored from age or staining food and drink, teeth whitening can improve the color of your smile to give you a more vibrant and youthful appearance. Our northern Virginia cosmetic dentist Dr. Pamela Marzban offers a number of advanced teeth whitening solutions so you can get a smile that gives you confidence in social situations.
Convenient, Effective Advanced Teeth Whitening Options
In the Washington, D.C. area, business professionals rush constantly through their daily routine. Convenience is crucial for you–if it can’t fit into your schedule, you can’t use it. To meet your teeth whitening needs, Dr. Marzban offers two different, but highly effective options for teeth whitening: In-office advanced teeth whitening with Boost, and take-home whitening with Opalescence.
Boost Tooth Whitening is convenient for people who need to get their whitening done now. The procedure requires just one one-hour appointment, after which you will have significantly brighter teeth.
Opalescence teeth whitening is the brand of our take-home whitening kits. The initial appointment for getting these kits is shorter, but it takes longer to get final results. Instead of getting results immediately after the first appointment, it takes several weeks of wearing the trays (mostly at night) to see final results. However, the results are often brighter than with in-office whitening, making this the right choice for people who are looking for a significant amount of whitening. Continued use of the whitening trays can also preserve the results, making them virtually permanent.
Sometimes we recommend that patients use these treatments in combination so that they can get both immediate results and better results overall. If your teeth are not only discolored, but have chips, cracks, gaps, or other cosmetic problems, porcelain veneers may be a better treatment option.
Teeth Whitening from a Dentist You Can Trust
Dr. Marzban is a skilled professional with advanced training from the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dentistry. She, along with her caring and compassionate dental team, will listen to your aesthetic goals and evaluate your teeth to ensure that teeth whitening really is the best treatment option for you. They will also listen to any concerns you may have about the procedure, such as tooth or gum sensitivity, and adjust your advanced teeth whitening treatment so that you get the best balance between results and comfort.
Nowadays it seems like there’s an entire aisle at the grocery store devoted to tooth whitening products. Although many of them carry the ADA stamp of approval showing they are generally safe for your teeth, they are less effective than in-office whitening and when undertaken without the supervision of a dentist they can have negative results.
Types of At-Home Whiteners
As people have become aware that stained teeth make you look older, less healthy, and less attractive, there has been significant growth in teeth whitening treatments.
Options for at-home whitening include:
- Whitening mouth wash
- Whitening toothpaste
- Paint-on whiteners
- Whitening strips
- Whitening trays
Some of these can provide good results for minor staining when used according to their instructions. When selecting any type of at-home tooth whitening, remember to look for the ADA seal of approval, which means that if you use the product strictly according to instructions, it should be safe for your teeth.
Advantages of In-Office Whiteners
In-office whitening offers many advantages that make it both more effective and safer than at-home over-the-counter treatments.
In-office whiteners:
- Can use stronger whitening compounds for greater effectiveness
- Can give significant results in less than an hour
- If you have sensitivity, the formula can be adjusted
- Take-home trays are customized for your teeth, which increases:
- Comfort
- Effectiveness–whiteners are protected from neutralizing saliva
- Safety–whitening compounds are kept off gums
In addition, Dr. Marzban can evaluate the type and severity of your discolored teeth so you know if tooth whitening will get you the results you desire or you might need another treatment (like porcelain veneers).
Common Questions about Teeth Whitening:
Fairfax, Virginia cosmetic dentist Dr. Pamela Marzban offers in-office Boost Tooth Whitening as well as take-home kits from Opalescence. Boost Tooth Whitening is fast, safe, and incredibly effective. Our take-home kits are easy to use and customized for your smile to ensure every tooth is as white as the next. The option best for you will be determined based on your needs and desires.
If you are looking for significant results quickly, then in-office whitening is best. If you don’t care that results take longer to achieve, but want better results overall, take-home whitening is best.
The tooth whitening options offered by Dr. Marzban are considered safe by the American Dental Association (ADA). Tooth whitening can lead to some sensitivity, but this risk is greatly reduced by seeing Dr. Marzban for this service in her office. The ADA recommends you do not whiten your teeth more than twice a year, but this has more to do with comfort than the strength of your tooth enamel.
It’s best to whiten teeth under the supervision of your dentist. If you whiten teeth on your own, you may not realize that discoloration is due to decay or tooth injury. You may also mistake sensitivity related to these conditions for sensitivity caused by whitening.
Teeth whitening only removes stains from your teeth. It doesn’t paint your teeth. As a result, your teeth will only become as white as your enamel allows.
Your whitening results will be affected by:
- The natural color of your enamel
- The thickness of your enamel
- The natural color of your dentin (the tooth layer under your enamel)
If you are unhappy with the results of teeth whitening, porcelain veneers may get better results for you.
Store-bought kits are inferior to professional whitening in nearly every way. Results from store-bought kits are unreliable, application is messy and, due to the ill-fitting application trays, tooth sensitivity is almost unavoidable. In addition to this, very few people comply with the length of time or frequency of use these kits must be used to see results. For consistent, effective, and comfortable results, only a professional solution will do.
Keeping your teeth clean is the best way to extend teeth whitening results. Be sure to brush your teeth twice a day and floss at least once a day. Minimize your intake of sugary foods and also those that are dark in color such as coffee, tea, and red wine. Refrain from smoking. Nicotine and tar can rapidly stain teeth. Depending on your lifestyle, we may recommend at-home whitening trays to help you maintain your results.
Finally, see Dr. Marzban twice a year for professional cleanings and examinations. These steps will all help extend the results of your teeth whitening.
All surface stains and some deeper stains can be removed with teeth whitening. If your stains are caused by mineralization in water or medications such as tetracycline, you may benefit more from porcelain veneers. Other types of discoloration may also not respond to teeth whitening, such as tooth decay, infected tooth, or traumatized tooth. During your initial consultation, Dr. Marzban will evaluate your teeth and tell you if you are likely to see good results with teeth whitening.
To learn more about the advantages of in-office teeth whitening in Burke, Fairfax, Fairfax Station & other nearby areas, please call 703-940-1350 or contact Dr. Pamela Marzban today for a cosmetic dentistry appointment.