Cosmetic — 5 min read
Teeth Whitening
Peroxide breaks the double bonds in stain molecules. It works remarkably well on some discolouration and not at all on others — the skill is knowing which you have.
Screened and introduced free, usually within a few hours. Sunny Isles Beach, Florida and the surrounding corridor.
Indications
Whitening is likely to work well if
Professional whitening uses hydrogen or carbamide peroxide at concentrations pharmacies cannot sell, applied under supervision with the gums protected. The result depends on what caused the discolouration in the first place.
- Teeth have yellowed gradually with age
- Staining from coffee, tea, red wine, curry or tobacco
- Over-the-counter strips produced a small or patchy change
- You are preparing for veneers or crowns and want to set the target shade first
- You have an event and want a controlled, predictable result
- Previous whitening caused sensitivity and you want it managed properly
Good candidate if
- No untreated decay or active gum disease
- Discolouration is extrinsic or age-related rather than tetracycline banding
- Front teeth are natural rather than crowned or veneered
- You accept that sensitivity for a few days is common and temporary
No cost, no obligation, no lead list.
The detail
In-office, take-home, and what neither will fix
Peroxide breaks the double bonds in stain molecules. It works remarkably well on some discolouration and not at all on others — the skill is knowing which you have.
In-office whitening applies 25 to 40 percent hydrogen peroxide with the gums isolated, in three or four cycles over about ninety minutes. It produces a visible change in a single appointment and is the right choice when the deadline is short. Custom take-home trays use 10 to 22 percent carbamide peroxide over one to two weeks, and — because the contact time is far longer — generally reach an equal or better endpoint with less sensitivity. The most durable protocol is one in-office session followed by trays for maintenance, which also gives you the means to top up annually for the cost of a syringe of gel.
What peroxide cannot do: it does not lighten porcelain, composite or any existing restoration. If you whiten and you have a crown on a front tooth, that crown will need remaking to match. It works poorly on grey tetracycline banding and not at all on a single dark tooth caused by a dead nerve, which needs internal bleaching instead. Fluorosis white spots often become less noticeable as the surrounding enamel lightens, but may need microabrasion or resin infiltration to resolve properly.
The sequence
What actually happens, in order.
Timings vary between practices and cases. The order does not — and a plan that skips a step is worth asking about.
Examination first
Decay and gum disease treated beforehand — peroxide entering an open cavity is painful and can damage the nerve.
Clean
A hygiene appointment removes surface staining so peroxide acts on the tooth rather than on deposit.
Shade record
The starting shade is photographed against a guide, which is the only honest way to judge the result later.
Whiten
In-office session of about 90 minutes, custom trays for one to two weeks, or the combination of both.
Stabilise
Shade settles over about two weeks. Restorations are matched to the new shade only after that.
Getting the right hands
Who should be doing your teeth whitening.
This is the variable that decides your result, and it is the one you have least ability to assess from the outside.
Not years in dentistry. How many of these they do in a month, and what the difficult ones looked like.
Anyone can photograph a result on delivery day. We want to see it after it has been used.
CBCT, microscope, scanner, printer — whichever this case genuinely requires, on site rather than referred out.
For anything ceramic, the technician is half the result. A dentist who cannot name theirs is outsourcing blind.
Teeth Whitening FAQ
What people ask us about teeth whitening.
Including the cost question, answered with a real range rather than a request to call.
In-office sessions in South Florida typically run $400 to $800. Custom take-home trays with gel are $250 to $500, with refill syringes around $25 to $60 afterwards. The combined protocol is usually quoted at $600 to $1,000 and gives the most durable result.
Supervised professional whitening at clinical concentrations does not measurably weaken enamel. It temporarily dehydrates the tooth and opens dentinal tubules, which causes the sensitivity. Both reverse within days. The risk sits with unsupervised high-concentration products and poorly fitted trays that leak onto the gums.
They carry much lower peroxide concentrations and do not conform closely to the tooth surface, so contact time and effective dose are both low. They also cannot reach the curved surfaces between teeth, which is why results are often patchy.
It will not change colour. Whiten first, wait two weeks for the shade to stabilise, then have the restoration remade to match. Doing it the other way round means matching new ceramics to teeth you are about to change.
Rinse with water after staining drinks, use a straw for iced coffee, keep your hygiene interval, and top up with your trays for one or two nights a year. Kept up, an initial result can hold for years rather than months.