At Back of the Wasatch Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, Dr. Reed Lobrot and our staff are proud to be certified GLO™ professional dentists, offering both in-office and at-home teeth whitening options that can turn a dull, discolored mouth into a dazzling white smile in about an hour. Here, we describe the many benefits you can enjoy with professional teeth whitening.
Why are my teeth discolored?
Normal, healthy teeth are white or yellowish-white; anything else, according to the US National Library of Medicine, is abnormal. Stains and other discoloration can result from a combination of extrinsic and intrinsic factors.
Your teeth are covered in a hard enamel shell, the hardest substance your body produces. Extrinsic factors affect this shell, which is easily stained despite its hardness. Fortunately, though, most stains can be bleached out by the tooth whitening process.
The most common reason for extrinsic discoloration is lifestyle-related — specifically, what you put in your mouth. Some of the most insidious substances are drinks like coffee, tea, dark cola, and red wine; fruits like blueberries, pomegranates, cherries, and beets; and any type of tobacco.
In addition, acidic foods and drinks like carbonated beverages and citrus promote staining by etching away the tooth enamel. Without the hard shell, pigments stick more easily to the inner tissues.
Intrinsic factors are those that affect dentin, the inner tooth structure, and these stains are more difficult to remove than the extrinsic type. The biggest contributing factor is aging. As you get older, the enamel on your teeth thins, and the yellow dentin beneath gives your teeth a dull yellow color. Other contributing factors are medications that cause tooth yellowing, such as the antibiotic tetracycline, as well as chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer.
Am I a good candidate for teeth whitening?
If your teeth are stained or otherwise discolored, that’s generally enough to make you a good candidate for teeth whitening. Whether you choose in-office or at-home treatment depends on your oral health, your lifestyle, and your personal preferences. You can discuss your options with Dr. Lobrot at your consultation.
However, if you have common oral health problems like tooth decay, tooth damage, or gum disease, we first need to address these to ensure your oral health is the best it can be.
What is GLO professional teeth whitening like?
At Back of the Wasatch Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, we make it as easy as possible for you to get your teeth whitened, and we rely exclusively on the GLO system to accomplish this.
When you come in for your whitening appointment, we have you sit back in a comfortable, reclining dental chair. Dr. Lobrot first applies GLO whitening gel to your teeth, making sure to protect your lips and gums, which can become irritated if exposed to the peroxide bleaching agent. Then, he trains a special LED light on the gel to activate it and speed up the whitening process. You can see whitening results up to 12 shades brighter in less than an hour.
If you’d rather whiten your teeth from the comfort of your own home, Dr. Lobrot provides you with a GLO at-home whitening kit. It’ll take a bit longer to whiten your teeth as bright as an in-office procedure, but you’ll still see excellent results.
Bright, white teeth give you the confidence to smile with ease, to convey a sense of good health to those around you, and to be seen as someone who cares about their personal appearance.
Remember, though, that to keep your teeth white you have to adopt some teeth-friendly habits.
One of the best all-around ways to protect your enamel is by encouraging saliva production; saliva washes away food particles and plaque before they can produce a stain. Two great ways of encouraging production are drinking plenty of water and chewing sugarless gum. Also good are crunchy fruits and vegetables with a high water content to help dilute acids, and eating cheese, which contains minerals that help maintain tooth strength.
In addition, make sure you keep to a regular, twice-yearly professional dental cleaning to ensure your overall oral health remains good.
If your teeth have become dull or stained, professional teeth whitening is the quickest, easiest way to get the radiant smile of your dreams. To learn more, or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Lobrot, call Back of the Wasatch Family and Cosmetic Dentistry at 435-654-4500, or book online with us today.