The so-called “whitening toothpastes” contain abrasive ingredients, and attempt to whiten your teeth by scraping the discoloration off. But in the process, they scrape the enamel off too, eventually giving you a more yellow smile.

The tooth-whitening kits give you generic trays, guaranteed not to fit your particular teeth. And they offer relatively weak tooth-whitening gel. So to the extent they will work, the results are likely to be uneven, since the gel will not be closely and evenly held against your teeth.

Tooth-whitening strips deliver the whitening agent through the plastic instead of via trays. Kits come with strips for the upper teeth and strips for the lower teeth, which will likely fit your teeth better than generic trays. However, they still don’t have a professional strength whitening agent.

Do You Repair Your Own Car?
Trying to whiten your own teeth without any help from a good cosmetic dentist is like trying to repair your own car. How can you know the nature of your teeth as well as a dentist can, who has spent many years learning the anatomy and physiology of teeth, of how to work with tooth enamel, the types of tooth enamel, how and why teeth become stained, how teeth relate to each other, and hundreds of other topics? And he has examined your individual teeth, becoming acquainted with their particular nature. Whitening your teeth alone, you would be working in the dark, guessing, using products made by people who have never seen your teeth.

There are two basic issues that should be addressed before you start on any tooth-whitening:
1.Why are your teeth stained – from daily use of pigmented foods and drinks? Or from a dental pathology?
2.Are your whitening expectations realistic? Do you have dental restorations that won’t respond to whitening? How will your teeth look with some whitened to varying degrees and some not whitened?

The Zoom! Tooth Whitening Process
This is a one-time office procedure. It takes a little over an hour to make your teeth an average of eight shades whiter. Once you and your cosmetic dentist have agreed that this would be a good idea, realistic, appropriate, and properly timed in relation to other possible dental work, it is a straightforward procedure. Nothing is required of you except to relax and hold still for 15 minutes at a time.

•Your cosmetic dentist will first protect the gums and lips and then apply the whitening gel to your teeth.
•A special light is directed at your teeth for fifteen minutes, activating and speeding the whitening process
•After the first fifteen minutes, a fresh coat of gel is applied, and the procedure repeated
•After three treatments like this, you are finished, and your dentist will give you a fluoride treatment to strengthen the enamel

You will be given a follow-up kit with professional-strength whitening gel and custom-made trays. You can use this for touch-ups later on, or to further whiten your teeth immediately, if you think they will go even whiter. If you experience any increased tooth sensitivity, there will be a syringe of desensitizing gel and you can place some of that in the trays instead of whitening gel. At any time, if you have questions you can call your cosmetic dentist.

Safe and Effective
Zoom! tooth whitening does not use anything abrasive. It does not harm your teeth or gums in any way. It simply removes the accumulated stains very quickly, freeing you to pursue whatever work or social activities are on your agenda. You will not need to wear any whitening strips or trays, either during the day or overnight. The process is finished so quickly, that you can move on to whatever is next in your life, and you’ll have a bright, clean smile to flash at all your old and new friends.

If you are in the Dallas, TX area, contact Dr. Gary Alhadef for more information about what tooth whitening can do for you.