White Summer Teeth

Summer is here. It is time to work on your tan, get in shape, and oh yeah, brighten up your smile. Here are three methods to brighten up your smile tray whitening, laser whitening, and veneers.

Tray Whitening

Lets start with the least expensive first. If you are just looking to have your teeth whitened for just a fraction of the cost and want to have more control over when you want to stop the process, this is the service for you.

Tray whitening can take up to two appointments, each being about 20 minutes each. You will be given a kit which contains instructions, bleaching solution, tray holders and a tooth whitening progress guide. A set of custom trays will be made from a mold of your teeth to be used to hold the bleaching solution. You can obtain refills at your dental office and continue using them as long as your teeth dont change.

Bottom line Tray whitening is a cost effective, less invasive technique, that gives you the ability to start and stop the whitening process when you want, and only takes about two appointments to get started. The process usually takes about 10 days to get the desired results.

Laser Whitening

You want white teeth fast? This is it. One appointment and you leave the office with gorgeous white teeth. The whole process takes about an hour. During that appointment your dentist will place a special shield on your teeth allowing only your teeth to be exposed to the laser light.

A special gel is used to enhance the whitening process. The gel and the laser light remain on your teeth for about 15-20 minutes while you relax in the dental chair and think about the beach. This process is repeated usually three times until the desired result is obtained.

After the last application the shield is removed and the teeth unveiled. Before you leave the office your dentist will usually give you some specific instructions to help control sensitivity you may have.

Bottom line Laser whitening is a more expensive way to produce white teeth but in a fraction of the time it takes to use the trays.

Veneers

You want permanently white teeth for years to come and dont want to worry about putting something inside your mouth? Say no more this is for you. This process usually takes three to four appointments.

The first thing you have got to be saying is 900 dollars per tooth? Are you kidding me? Trust me the cost is well worth it depending on what you want these little cute veneers to do. They can be used to re-shape ugly teeth, straighten teeth, close gaps and spaces and make your teeth look like Denzel Washington or Halle Barry if you so desire.

The process involves a consultation to determine what you want to achieve and a review of models so you can see what your teeth will look like before getting started.

It may also involve the removal of a small bit of tooth structure and the placement of temporaries depending on how you want your teeth to look.

At the last appointment, your dentist removes the temporaries and places the veneers which usually leave patients thinking, “Are those really my teeth?”

Bottom line Veneers are a more expensive way to whiten teeth, but make up for it in there ability to provide permanently white teeth for years to come and also offer many other solutions, such as straightening, closing spaces, and correcting gaps. The process usually takes three to four appointments.

There you have it. Three quick fixes for white teeth this summer. Remember; only your dentist can make your teeth their whitest.

So give him or her a call before the summer is over and school starts back up.