Get A Radiant Smile At Home
What Is Opalescence Teeth Whitening?
People have their teeth whitened on a regular basis so that they can look and feel great. As people age, it is common for teeth to become dull and yellow. This is in part due to age itself and also due to what a person eats and drinks. Drinking coffee, tea and wine, for example, can stain your teeth. Smoking and eating foods that contain food coloring can also stain your teeth. Brushing immediately after eating and drinking can help to prevent stains but is typically not enough to remove the risk entirely. Fortunately, stained and yellow teeth don’t have to stay that way. If you live in Pompano Beach or the local area, you can benefit from a teeth whitening procedure at our local dental office. At South Florida Smile Spa, Nicole M. Berger, DDS, we are known for improving the appearance of our patients’ smiles. We often recommend a Take Home Opalescence kit. We also offer in-office procedures like Kör and Zoom, but we offer take-home kits as it can offer an easy at-home way to transform your smile.
Why Trust Dr. Nicole M. Berger?
At South Florida Smile Spa, Nicole M. Berger, DDS, we can provide you with in-office teeth whitening using a professional-grade whitening solution. This is an important distinction to make because the whitening kits that are sold in the store contain solutions that are not nearly as strong and will not produce the same level of results. Patients may also visit our office after trying a kit at home and wish they had come here first. The reason for the difference is that a store-bought solution will typically only remove the surface stains from the teeth. This can help to eliminate some of the stains caused by recent food or beverage consumption. It will not remove the deep staining and discoloration that is coming from within the tooth, but our solution will.
Managing Whitening Sensitivity
For some people, teeth whitening can cause sensitivity. Most often, sensitivity is temporary and treatable, so it’s important to talk to your dentist before, during, and after your whitening treatment so they can understand and treat your sensitivity issues on an individual basis. Before you begin any whitening treatment, you should undergo a whitening consultation with your dentist to determine your level of sensitivity and staining. Once your dentist has established your sensitivity level—usually by a touch and air test—they’ll be able to determine which whitening treatment will be most comfortable for you while treating the stains appropriately.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often do I use Opalescence Teeth Whitening Take Home Kit?
Use the gel sparingly. Keep in mind that the 8 syringes provided in the kit contain enough gel for ~15 – 20 separate treatments, or 2-3 weeks. Insert tray and adapt sides of tray against teeth. Remove any excess gel that exudes onto the gums with a clean tissue or soft toothbrush.
Are at-home teeth whitening kits better than dentist procedures?
When comparing the home vs. dentist whitening solutions, consider what you are trying to accomplish. If your teeth are white but are starting to turn slightly yellow, you may see some positive results with a simple store bought solution. However, if your teeth have any stains, it is far better to skip this step and head straight to our office for a professional teeth whitening. If you do try something at home, there are a few things you should be aware of. How long the solution remains on your teeth is important. When it comes to teeth bleaching, the whitening solution needs to be on your teeth long enough to work. This is why something like a whitening pen or whitening toothpaste can’t possibly make much of a difference. The solution is washed off almost immediately. Simultaneously, when you buy whitening strips in the store, they tend to slip out of place and also lose their effectiveness.
The solution needs to get below the surface. Any time you look at whitening products, look for ones that say they penetrate below the enamel. When you schedule a professional bleaching, this will happen every time. When you buy something at the store, however, it is rare. Without penetrating below the enamel, you will never truly remove all of the stains.
If you would prefer to whiten your teeth at home, you can still have a professional teeth whitening. You can have whitening trays created at the dentist and wear them at home while using a professional whitening solution. This will deliver impressive results and be more comfortable than any trays that you can buy in the store. Since store-bought whitening trays are made to fit everyone, they are typically loose, and the solution will leak out of them and into the back of your throat. This is entirely uncomfortable and completely avoidable when you use trays created by a dentist. If you live in Pompano Beach or the surrounding area, we invite you to visit our dental office to see how easy professional whitening is and how much more effective it can be than a store-bought solution.
How can I prevent prewhitening sensitivity?
If you have a history of sensitivity, your dentist may recommend you take the following steps to help prevent sensitivity during the whitening treatment:
- Using a soft-bristle toothbrush, brush your teeth with Opalescence PF Toothpaste, a desensitizing toothpaste, for 2 weeks.
- Remove any acidic beverages and foods from your diet.
- Wear a prefilled tray or custom trays filled with UltraEZ (desensitizing gel product) for 30–60 minutes once a day or Opalescence PF Toothpaste (desensitizing toothpaste) for 1–2 nights.
- Continue to brush with Opalescence PF Toothpaste (desensitizing toothpaste), but brush 30 minutes before you insert your tray, and wait 30 minutes after whitening to brush again.
- Begin whitening with a low-concentration Opalescence product, or whichever Opalescence product your dentist recommends.
How can I prevent sensitivity during whitening?
Some people who do not have a history of sensitivity may develop some level of sensitivity during their whitening treatment. If you develop sensitivity during your whitening treatment, your dentist may suggest additional treatment options:
Option 1
- Reduce concentration of whitening material if possible
- Reduce wear time
- Change from night wear to day wear
- Skip a night or day of whitening
- Stop whitening for an extended period of time
Option 2
- Continue or start brushing with Opalescence PF Toothpaste (desensitizing toothpaste)
- Wear UltraEZ (potassium nitrate and fluoride product) prefilled trays for 30–60 minutes once a day or your custom tray filled with UltraEZ overnight in place of whitening material for 1–2 nights
- Switch from one whitening gel to another
- If none of these treatments work, your dentist may recommend the whitening process be discontinued.
