Teeth Whitening – Hampton, NH
Achieve the Brighter Smile of Your Dreams
Do you have stained, dull, or otherwise discolored teeth? If so, you’ll find our whitening treatments to be incredibly beneficial. In fact, whether your pearly whites are no longer living up to their name because of frequent coffee consumption, enamel erosion, or the natural aging process, our Hampton dental team will have your smile shining in no time!
Why Choose Oceanside Family Dental for Teeth Whitening?
- Get Your Teeth Whitened at Home or In the Dental Office
- Flexible Office Hours for Routine Whitening Treatments
- Pre-Filled Trays Make Whitening Easy On-the-Go
Who is a Good Candidate for Teeth Whitening?
Generally, anyone who wishes to improve the shade of their teeth is a good candidate for professional teeth whitening. It’s important to keep in mind, though, that certain kinds of stains, such as those caused by medications or fluorosis, may not respond well to even our ultra-potent bleaching gel. Teeth that have been discolored by trauma may also not respond to our treatment, as the discoloration may lie deep within the tooth. Ultimately, it’s best to schedule a consultation with us to find out if teeth whitening is just the thing your smile needs.
How Does Teeth Whitening Work?
Your journey to a brighter and even more beautiful smile will depend largely on whether you choose an in-office whitening treatment or a take-home kit. At your consultation, we will review the pros of each, but you can also read on to learn a little more in the meantime.
Take-Home Teeth Whitening
Have you been disappointed by over-the-counter products time and time again? If so, you’ll be happy to hear that we use Opalescence® Go, which allows you to achieve beautiful results from the comfort of your own home. In fact, you’ll have a noticeably whiter smile in just two weeks!
In-Office Teeth Whitening
For our in-office treatments, we use Zoom! Whitening. One of the biggest benefits of this approach is that it allows us to make your smile multiple shades brighter in just one hour. So, if you have a wedding or another important event rapidly approaching, this is the way to go!
Tips for Maintaining Your Brighter Smile
It should be noted that no teeth whitening treatment is permanent. However, you can make your results last longer if you:
- Brush and floss consistently
- Visit us twice a year for a checkup and cleaning
- Eat light-colored foods, like cottage cheese
- Use a straw when drinking coffee
Of course, it’s equally as important to avoid the habits that left them discolored in the first place, like smoking or consuming large amounts of tea, berries, and other staining items. If you continue to indulge in these habits, your teeth’s new whiteness may begin to fade in as little as a month.
Teeth Whitening FAQs
If you’re considering getting your teeth whitened here at Oceanside Family Dental, you might have some further questions about the process and how it works. For this reason, we’ve collected some of the questions about our whitening treatment that we get asked the most frequently and answered them below.
What Causes Dental Discoloration?
It’s true that coffee, tea, berries, soy sauce, and other richly-pigmented substances are notorious for staining teeth. This is because these food particles are attracted to tooth enamel by specific proteins. As time passes, teeth are more prone to stains and, therefore, more likely to change to a dull, yellowish color.
However, there is one type of stain that can appear as a result of traumatic injury, medications, and fluorosis. These stains actually develop from inside the tooth and cannot be treated with brushing and flossing alone. In contrast, external stains can be treated with dedicated daily oral care.
Today, more and more people are looking to teeth whitening procedures to not only remove stains caused by food and tobacco but aging as well.
What’s the Difference Between Store-Bought Kits and Professional Whitening Treatments?
While it’s true that store-bought solutions, like whitening toothpastes, can remove some stains and make them appear brighter, many of these products are very abrasive and can actually harm the teeth. Keep in mind that tooth enamel does not grow back once it’s lost.
While the whitening agents in these products can change the color of your teeth, they won’t work on all stains. If you have brownish or grayish stains, you may find it difficult to remove them with whitening toothpaste. Or, if your teeth are pitted, you’ll likely see little results. The same applies if you have dental restorations, including crowns, bridges, cosmetic bonding, and tooth-colored fillings.
If you’re looking for the most effective and safest method for whitening your teeth, you’ll find professional whitening performed by our dental office to be the most ideal. When done by a skilled team, the effects can last as long as five years!
Is Teeth Whitening Covered by My Insurance?
Since teeth whitening in Hampton is considered a purely cosmetic treatment, it’s typically not covered by your dental insurance. Keep in mind that if you’re having trouble coming up with the funds to pay for a whitening treatment, we partner with CareCredit so you can achieve the smile you want with little or no interest.
Will Whitening Hurt My Teeth?
Choosing to brighten your teeth with over-the-counter whitening products may result in irritation to the soft tissues in your mouth. They can also wear away the enamel on your teeth, revealing more of the yellowish dentin underneath. In this case, trying to whiten your teeth may in fact have the exact opposite effect!
Professional teeth whitening should not damage your pearly whites in any way. We take extra care to adjust the strength of the bleaching gel as needed to avoid any kind of damage to your teeth. While it’s perfectly normal to feel a small degree of sensitivity after treatment, we can apply a fluoride varnish afterward to minimize any discomfort.
Does Teeth Whitening Affect Existing Dental Work?
Unfortunately, teeth whitening will not affect dental restorations like crowns, veneers, or tooth-colored fillings. As a result, these restorations will stand out in your smile. If need be, we can adjust or replace your existing dental work after your whitening treatment so that they blend right in with your new and improved smile.