As a person ages, mineral exposure causes the teeth to gradually darken. Over time, some food, drink, or tobacco products also create unattractive yellowish-brown stains. Less commonly, you may experience discoloration due to some medications or bacterial infections.

We offer several techniques for eliminating discoloration to give you a brighter, more attractive smile. These techniques include:

• Bleaching
• Laser Tooth Whitening
• At-Home Whitening

Most often, stains have gotten deep below the outermost layer of the tooth. In office bleaching uses light or laser treatment to remove the deeply rooted stains and restore your teeth to their natural white color. Over-the-counter products, such as whitening toothpastes, remove only surface stains.

Whitening procedures are not a solution for all discoloration (e.g. darkening caused by cavities). Similarly, whitening does not work on all stains. Dr. Ashpole is committed to helping you choose the best option for your personal situation. Some cases that are not appropriate for whitening procedures can be effectively treated with restorative options.

Take home whitening procedures can whiten your teeth about 4 to 6 shades on a standard scale showing the range of teeth color. Laser whitening can whiten the teeth up to 8 shades, depending on the level of initial discoloration and your desired results.

Whitening Procedures

In-Office Chemical Whitening (Bleaching)

The most common form of whitening is chemical whitening (bleaching). In this procedure, your dentist applies a gel to the teeth. The teeth are then exposed to bright white light, (or to a laser in laser whitening procedures). This causes a reaction that allows the gel to penetrate the enamel of the teeth and eliminate deep stains. Chemical bleaching is highly effective and can be performed in one or two office visits.

At-Home Chemical Whitening (Bleaching)

You may also choose to chemically whiten your teeth at home. In this case, Dr. Ashpole will fit a tray to your bite, and provide you with a mild whitening gel. Over a course of weeks or months, you regularly apply the gel to your teeth using the tray.

This method is more gradual, and less noticeable to others. In rare instances, some patients experience gum sensitivity or discomfort in response to the gel.