Remove stains caused by coffee, wine, tobacco, or yellowing due to the natural aging process
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(281) 516-8575
At Pineville Family Dentistry, Dr. Babb uses professional-grade teeth whitening products to deliver fantastic results in just a single appointment. At our office, you can enhance your smile and your confidence in under an hour with professional whitening. Call today to schedule your visit and transform your smile!
Teeth whitening products use a special type of molecule called a “peroxide” to bleach away stains from your teeth. The most commonly used compounds are hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide. These compounds react very strongly when they contact stains on your teeth, breaking them away from your enamel and “bleaching” the surfaces of your teeth. This removes most stains from your teeth and leaves behind natural, white enamel.
Teeth whitening is only effective on stains that are on the exterior of your teeth. That means that it will work for things like tobacco stains and coffee stains. However, if the interior of your tooth has been stained due to a reaction to an antibiotic like tetracycline, or is discolored due to a filling, teeth whitening will not remove the stain. You can consider an alternative treatment like dental bonding or veneers to cover up internal tooth stains.
The results of teeth whitening usually last up to 3 years. However, you can extend the effectiveness of your treatment by brushing and flossing properly, and seeing Dr. Babb for teeth cleanings every six months. Additionally, you may want to consider having touch-up teeth whitening appointment every year or two, to ensure that your teeth remain bright and beautiful for as long as possible.
Both in-office and take-home teeth whitening deliver the same results. However, in-office whitening is much faster. In just 1-2 appointments, you can brighten your smile up to 5-10 shades. This option is ideal if you need to whiten your teeth quickly for a special event.
Take-home whitening, on the other hand, uses custom-built trays and special whitening products to brighten your smile more gradually, and it usually takes several weeks to see your results. However, some patients prefer to whiten their teeth in the comfort of their own homes. To find out which option will work best for you, contact Pineville Family Dentistry at (318) 704-5757, or stop by our office at 3310 Military Highway, Pineville, LA 71360 to schedule your appointment.
Yes. Teeth whitening is known to cause minor, temporary sensitivity in most patients. For most people, this won’t interfere with their day-to-day lives, and will go away within a few days after their teeth whitening treatment.
However, people who already have sensitivity issues or thin enamel may have more prolonged and uncomfortable sensitivity after their treatment. For this reason, you should discuss any existing teeth sensitivity issues you have with Dr. Troy Babb before your treatment begins. Dr. Babb can adjust your treatment accordingly, ensuring that you feel more comfortable throughout the teeth whitening process at Pineville Family Dentistry.
There are a few steps you can take to deal with sensitivity after whitening, too. First, we recommend brushing regularly with fluoride toothpaste, as this will help keep your teeth strong. You can even use toothpaste like Sensodyne, which has ingredients that can help reduce teeth sensitivity.
You may also want to avoid consuming really hot or ice-cold foods and drinks for a little while. Teeth sensitivity usually causes more discomfort at temperature extremes, so eating and drinking more mild foods and drinks until your teeth recover is a good way to deal with discomfort.
This depends on your oral health, how quickly stains come back after your teeth whitening treatment, and a lot of other factors. Usually, though, we recommend that you have your teeth whitened once per year at most.
There are a couple of reasons for this. First, whitening more often than once per year is usually a waste of money. It’s just not necessary. Unless you’re a heavy smoker, drink a ton of beverages like coffee, tea, and wine, and aren’t brushing properly, it’s unlikely that severe stains will come back in less than a year. And if your stains do come back that quickly, the best option is to change your lifestyle and habits to avoid stains, not to have your teeth whitened every 6 months.
In addition, teeth whitening does weaken the teeth slightly. This is not a big deal if you whiten infrequently, and work with a dentist for safe take-home or in-office teeth whitening treatment. But if you’re constantly getting professional teeth whitening and you’re also using at-home whitening products or kits, this could lead to permanent damage to your teeth.
If you are self-conscious about your smile, yes! Teeth whitening from a professional like Dr. Troy Babb is 100%, completely safe and non-invasive, and it’s also one of the most affordable cosmetic dentistry procedures available.
When your treatment is done, your smile will typically be up to 5-10 shades brighter, and you’ll also get rid of tooth stains and discoloration that may make you feel self-conscious about your appearance. This boosts your confidence and even makes you look younger.
The treatment lasts a long time, too. If you care for your teeth properly after whitening, you can enjoy great results for 1-2 years or longer. And with regular teeth whitening touch-ups when recommended by Dr. Troy Babb, you can keep your smile looking bright and brilliant for years to come.