If you’re one of our many patients who loves drinking coffee, tea, or red wine, you may think that dental stains are inevitable, but at McCarl Dental Group, we have good news for your pearly whites. Regular cleaning with a dental hygienist along with application of professional teeth whitening gel can remove staining and restore your smile to brilliant white. Grab a glass of your favorite staining beverage and read on to find out more about teeth whitening with our knowledgeable Greenbelt dentists and their team.
Are These Stains Permanent?
The short answer: not usually. The long answer: teeth whitening procedures usually remove stains on your teeth from coffee, tea and red wine. Please don’t forget that brushing your teeth twice daily, flossing and visiting your dental hygienist at least every six months for a thorough professional cleaning with fluoride application are also instrumental for maintaining your whitest smile. The most effective time to whiten your teeth is immediately after you return home from a dental hygiene cleaning.
Over time, stains caused by foods and beverages are absorbed into the dentin layer beneath surface enamel, and these deep-set stains are more difficult to remove. However, patients who don’t want to give up drinking coffee, tea, or red wine don’t have to give up on having a bright, white smile either. Regular, convenient, in-home professional teeth whitening removes surface-level stains leaving smiles brighter and more beautiful.
How Does Whitening Remove Stains?
Enamel is a hard, porous material, and as we consume foods and drinks, staining pigments are left behind in the pores. As these pigments accumulate teeth gradually darken. Professional teeth bleaching flushes the staining pigments from tooth pores restoring teeth to your brightest shade. It’s important to remember that oral health is more important than the surface color of teeth. If teeth are otherwise healthy, teeth whitening is a safe, effective way to keep smiles bright. If whiteners do not make your smile as bright as you would like, we have a wide range of options to give you the smile you have always wanted. Our dentists are here for you and always happy to listen to your concerns about and goals for your smile. After we listen to your concerns, priorities and budget, we will present a range of treatment options. Please see our website to read about thin veneers that do not require any reduction of the tooth. We are also experienced in complex full mouth reconstruction and smile makeovers.
What Whitening Options do I Have?
At McCarl Dental Group, we offer at-home teeth whitening to our patients for the same price as we pay. This is one way that we say thank you. We recommend professional take home teeth whitening. Our at-home whitening kit includes an application tray customized to fit your smile comfortably, and professional-grade whitening gel that offers great results over the course of days and sometimes up to two weeks. We recommend an initial teeth cleaning in our Millersville dental office then use of the at-home whitening gel to get teeth to the desired shade. You can follow up with whitening at-home for two or three days every three months to maintain a bright white smile or touch up for special occasions.
Find Out More
Many patients worry about the long-term cost of teeth whitening, but compared to other regular maintenance like haircuts, teeth bleaching is very inexpensive. We tell patients to budget for about $50 every three months. That’s less than $20 a month to keep your smile bright. Contact McCarl Dental Group in Greenbelt to find out more or schedule a teeth whitening consultation today.