Teeth whitening dissolves deeply embedded stains and even whitens the intrinsic natural color of your teeth to make your smile look younger. Dr. Siny Thomas of Sugar Land offers in-office and at-home treatment to give you a brilliant smile.
What Causes Teeth to Stain?
A variety of factors can cause teeth to stain, darken, or discolor, including:
- Drinking cola, coffee, tea, or wine
- Eating dark foods including beets, berries, or chocolate
- Smoking or chewing tobacco
- Tetracycline or other medications
- Genetically dark pigmentation
- Aging
- Poor oral hygiene
Is Teeth Whitening from a Dentist Worth It?
Over-the-counter products are not as potent as the professional-strength bleaching gel that Dr. Thomas provides. Depending on the cause of stains in your teeth, bleaching gel will make them look worse. Before you receive treatment, Dr. Thomas will determine if your teeth and gums are healthy and if bleaching your teeth is a good idea.
Over-the-counter products vs. professional whitening
- Whitening toothpaste – It only removes surface stains if it helps at all. Some brands are abrasive and will scratch dental work and wear away your tooth enamel.
- Whitening strips – They are about ¼ the potency of professional bleaching gel. If you notice any change in the brightness of your smile, it will be slight.
- Professional whitening – You’ll get predictable results because the bleaching gel is powerful enough to penetrate your teeth and break down deeply embedded stains. It will lighten the natural pigmentation of your teeth.
Types of Whitening
You can choose in-office or take-home treatment to make getting a brighter smile convenient for you.
In-office
KöR ® Whitening is a powerful system that will get your smile its brightest. It includes a combination of in-office and at-home care to remove the most stubborn stains from your teeth. You’ll receive custom trays, bleaching gel, and desensitizing gel for comfortable whitening sessions. Although other whitening systems do not improve tetracycline stains, KöR breaks them apart and whitens your smile. It can brighten your teeth up to 16 shades lighter. Read our KöR Whitening page for details.
At-home
Ultradent Opalescence™ lets you progressively whiten your teeth at home. We’ll take impressions of your teeth to make custom bleaching trays that keep bleaching gel in contact with your teeth and away from your gums. Treatment is easy:
- You’ll place a small amount of the bleaching gel in the trays.
- Wear the trays for the time specified by Dr. Thomas, and as the days pass, you’ll progressively see your smile getting brighter.
- At the end of two weeks, your smile will be bright.
- You can continue whitening your teeth as long as you want until you’ve reached your desired level of whitening.
- You’ll do periodic touchups to keep your smile bright.
Interested in a Radiant Smile?
If you’re interested in in-office or take-home teeth whitening, call us to schedule an appointment with Dr. Thomas or complete our Request an Appointment form.