Teeth Whitening FAQs
Serving St. Paul, Minneapolis, Woodbury and the surrounding areas
Q: How does teeth whitening work?
A: Regardless of whether you have it done in a dentist's office, or do it at home yourself, the tooth whitening process is the same. The teeth must be in contact with the whitening agent (peroxide) for enough time, in the right way, to achieve whitening.
This can be done more slowly with a lower concentration of whitener, or more quickly with a higher concentration.
Q: What is the advantage of having a cosmetic dentist whiten your teeth?
A: There are a couple advantages:
Speed -- there's a rule of thumb that says one hour of treatment in a dental office is as effective as one or two weeks of at-home treatment using a tray. Some people become discouraged at the slowness of results doing it at home.
Quality of work - while you're sleeping, the home use tray can move, causing the whitener to be in contact with your teeth inconsistently or not at all. Done by your cosmetic dentist, the application of whitener is smooth and uniform.
Dr. Nippoldt can whiten your teeth beautifully in one appointment. Contact us for a free consultation.
Q: Does a bleaching light damage your teeth and make them more sensitive?
A: Not these days. In years past, that was sometimes the case, as the light was used to warm up the whitening agent and break it down chemically, thus speeding the process along.
But it was the infrared component of the light that created tooth problems. These days, the infrared is filtered out of the light, so the gel is still broken down chemically, but your teeth are not heated up and no damage is caused.
Some tooth whitening systems use no bleaching light.
Q: Is there any difference between the teeth whitening systems that advertise so much?
A: Systems such as BriteSmile™, Zoom™, and LaserSmile™ all use hydrogen peroxide as the whitening agent. They all manufacture kits which include some or all of the components your cosmetic dentist will use for the tooth whitening procedure, such as whitening gel, a bleaching light or activator, and certain dental implements.
Though there are small differences in such things as the exact concentration of hydrogen peroxide, the exact type of bleaching light, and the exact pH of the whitening gel, the overall results are often much the same and most people are pleased with the outcome.
Dr. Nippoldt uses the BriteSmile™ system, which includes the use of an "accelerator" before the whitener is applied for the second and third times. This step enhances the whitener's effectiveness . Dr. Nippoldt recommends BriteSmile™ as an effective and fast way to achieve a dazzling smile.
Professional teeth whitening may be the best choice for you if you need immediate teeth whitening results. It just takes an hour or two of appointment time for Dr. Nippoldt to apply the bleaching gel, "activate" it, and very shortly thereafter, it's finished. Your smile is brighter right after your first bleaching treatment.
If you're considering tooth whitening in the St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Woodbury, Minnesota or the Hudson area and would like to know more about these procedures, please call 651-739-8573 or email Dr. Nippoldt today for a complimentary consultation. Dr. Nippoldt will do a thorough dental examination and listen to your wishes and fears. He'll answer all your questions and make sure you understand all the options available to you.
