Brighter, whiter teeth can dramatically improve your smile’s appearance. Patients have different options when it comes to teeth whitening treatments, but those treatments can vary in terms of how long the results last. In most cases, however, patients can expect their smiles to be noticeably whiter for some time.
Patients also should keep in mind that all teeth whitening systems require periodic touch-ups from time to time to maintain the bright smile.
The major advantage of an in-office teeth whitening system is the quick treatment timeframe. An in-office treatment may whiten a patient’s smile by up to 10 shades in as little as an ninety minutes. A special light helps to activate the bleaching gel, which makes the gel take effect more quickly.
However, even patients who choose in-office interventions must follow up with periodic treatments at home to continue to sport a white smile.
Patients who select an at-home system, in which they typically wear custom-fitted trays filled with bleaching gel, tend to get more consistent results, although it does take several days for those results to become visible. The patient often wears the trays for about an hour at his or her convenience to whiten the teeth. Wearing the tray even longer will hasten the results.
At-home treatments also give the patients more control over the outcome, allowing them to adjust the level of whiteness as they see fit.
While the results of at-home systems may last a bit longer than those of in-office treatments, even patients who opt for at-home systems will need to do periodic maintenance, as no teeth whitening system achieves a permanently whiter smile.
Different teeth whitening systems meet different patients’ needs. Discuss your choices with our dental team to determine which option is best for you. With over 25 years’ experience as a Dallas prosthodontist, Dr. Seal serves residents in Highland Park, University Park, and the neighboring communities. Please call our office at 214.361.0883 to schedule your consultation today.