By KELLY M. DAINIAK, DMD, GENERAL DENTIST
Summer is a great time to brighten your smile! Are you a candidate for whitening? Tooth whitening focuses on natural teeth. Restorations (white fillings and/ or crowns, implant crowns, removable prostheses) do not change color. Over time your teeth can darken with normal function: eating foods that stain. Examples of foods that darken teeth: black coffee, soy sauce, ketchup, berries, green tea, black tea and red wine. Poor habits such as smoking cigarettes, cigars and vapes also darken your teeth. Other important factors that affect the color of your teeth are: oral homecare and how often teeth are professionally cleaned.
Depending on the hue of your teeth, results can vary. Tooth color shades vary from yellow to golden to grey. The golden shades are more difficult to change to bright shades. There are several types of whitening available in the dental office. The first and most comprehensive is Zoom Chairside Whitening. The results are immediate and are closely monitored by your dental professional. This takes about an hour and a half and involves whitening gel and a professional ultraviolet light with multiple settings to customize your whitening goals. Custom trays come with this procedure for touch ups. Zoom Chairside Whitening has the best results, is convenient and lasts one to two years depending on your daily habits. The cost is $600-$1,000.
The next type of whitening is custom take home trays. This consists of two dental visits. The first visit impressions are taken to make dental models and to fabricate custom whitening trays. The second visit the trays are delivered with whitening gel syringes. The patient can wear the trays 20 minutes a day for 5 to 7 days. The cost is $200-$400. Results vary depending on the hues of the natural teeth.
Lastly, there are prescription strength pre-set disposable trays, a one size fits all. They come in packs of ten. These are worn daily for 20 minutes and results can vary. They are good for a quick touch up. The cost is $80-$100.
Big box retailers and esthetic businesses sell over the counter whitening but you must keep in mind these are not prescription strength, and many times patients end up with burns and often buying more product to achieved desired results. Fees charged at big business pharmacies are more than what is charged in the dental office. For the summer months, Dr. Kelly M. Dainiak is having a Zoom Chairside Whitening Special if interested in brightening your smile! Dr. Dainiak is a local small business owner and has had a solo practice serving Lee County for 20 years.
Premier Dental & Implant Studio
239-992-0325
www.premierdentalstudio.com
20321 Grande Oak Shoppes Blvd.
Suite 316 | Estero, FL 33928