Teeth Whitening

What affects the color of my teeth?

Several factors can make your teeth less white or yellow, like:

• Poor oral hygiene
• Drinking too much coffee, red wine, and other darkly pigmented beverages
• Eating too many berries, tomato-based sauce, and other darkly pigmented foods
• Smoking cigarettes
• Chewing tobacco
• Medications, like certain antihistamines and antipsychotics
• Exposure to tetracycline antibiotics before the age of eight

Your teeth also naturally become less white as you get older as the enamel on your teeth wears down.

What teeth whitening options do you offer?

Most teeth whitening works on the same basic principle: a whitening solution containing hydrogen peroxide is applied to the surface of your teeth, where it penetrates your enamel and breaks up the dark pigments that cause stains. 

Alta Canyada Dental Group offers two different types of whitening:

In-office whitening

In-office whitening with Philips Zoom!® can make your teeth up to eight shades whiter in one hour-long office visit. Dr. Beck and the team use special gels and tools to protect your gums, lips, and cheeks, then they carefully apply a professional-strength whitening solution to your teeth. 

Your providers shine a special curing light on your teeth that activates the whitening solution and helps it penetrate deeper into your enamel to break up tougher stains.

Take-home whitening

With take-home whitening, Dr. Beck makes custom whitening trays for you built from an impression of your smile and gives you a professional-strength whitening solution.

You fill the trays with the whitening solution at home and wear them for a prescribed amount of time every day. Your smile is whiter and brighter in just a few weeks.

How is professional whitening better than OTC whitening?

The whitening kits that you can buy at a local pharmacy might be cheap and convenient, but they’re also less effective and potentially harmful for your smile.

The strips and trays used in these kits aren’t designed for your unique smile, nor are they being applied by a professional, so the bleaching solution in them frequently leaks out and irritates your gums.

The whitening gel in these kits is also significantly weaker than the solution you can get at Alta Canyada Dental Group, so your smile won’t be nearly as white as Dr. Beck, and the team can make it.

If you want to safely and effectively whiten your teeth, let a professional do it. Call the office today to schedule your teeth whitening visit at Alta Canyada Dental Group.