Your Most Common Teeth Whitening Questions Answered

  • Home
  • /
  • Blog
  • /
  • Your Most Common Teeth Whitening Questions Answered
your most common teeth whitening questions answered

You should have a smile that makes you feel beautiful and confident. One of the simplest ways to achieve a radiant smile is through professional teeth whitening in Okotoks. At Cornerstone Dental Wellness, our qualified dentist is happy to offer teeth whitening treatments to our patients.

While there are over-the-counter teeth whitening treatments available, they don’t provide the same level of safety or effectiveness as treatments provided by a dentist’s office. Read more to learn about the teeth whitening process and discover which teeth whitening treatment is best for you.

Tooth Health and Appearance

One of the biggest advantages of visiting our dentist in Okotoks for teeth whitening is getting a complete dental exam before your whitening treatment. Teeth whitening should always happen after getting a thorough examination; after all, it doesn’t matter if your teeth are white but are full of decay and cavities.

As well, most whitening treatments use hydrogen peroxide to bleach your teeth. This works to remove stains on the surface of your teeth, but if there is a build-up of plaque on your teeth, the whitening gel won’t be very effective, and the roughness can even cause a patchy appearance on your teeth.

By getting a full dental cleaning and examination before your whitening treatment, you will ensure that your teeth and gums are healthy and that you have a smooth surface to the whitening gel to be applied.

Minimal Risk of Tooth Sensitivity

If you have been considering getting teeth whitening near you for a while, you may have discovered that certain whitening treatments can cause tooth or gum sensitivity. This is most likely to happen when you use an unapproved whitening product that reduces the enamel on your teeth. Over-the-counter teeth whitening can also cause tooth sensitivity with improper application.

When you visit Cornerstone Dental Wellness for teeth whitening, our dentist near you will use a shield to protect your gums and lips during the procedure. They will use only approved whitening gels that will not cause damage to your teeth.

Surface Whitening vs. Deep Whitening

While most at-home whitening methods use peroxide agents to whiten the surface of your teeth, professional teeth whitening methods use peroxide and light to get to the center of the tooth and change its color completely. As a result, professional teeth whitening will typically provide longer-lasting results than at-home teeth whitening.

Viable At-Home Teeth Whitening Methods

If you want to do your teeth whitening at home, our dental office can provide you with professional whitening trays that you can use at home following our dentist’s instructions. These whitening trays are much more effective and comfortable than over-the-counter options because these trays are custom-made to fit the exact structure of your mouth.

Professional teeth whitening treatments tend to take between 30-90 minutes and typically require about 1-3 visits to Cornerstone Dental Wellness. If you would prefer to undergo teeth whitening at your leisure and in the comfort of your own home, speak to our dentist about at-home teeth whitening options.

Alternatives to Teeth Whitening

In some cases, teeth whitening may not work for you. If you have very stained teeth, white dental fillings, or other medical conditions, you may not be eligible for teeth whitening. This is why it is so important to ensure that you visit our clinic before undergoing teeth whitening to know the treatment will be safe and effective.

Please do not hesitate to contact our office today. Our team is happy to help you with any of your cosmetic smile concerns and offers in-office and at-home teeth whitening methods, as well as alternative methods to get you the smile of your dreams.