Teeth Whitening Specialist
Dr. Rathee provides state of the art teeth whitening services to patients from in and around West Hills, California, to help them achieve a bright healthy smile.
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Teeth Whitening
by Anita Rathee, DDS
Why Do I Need My Teeth Whitened?
Many people choose to have their teeth professionally whitened to counter the yellowing that occurs over time due to staining from food, beverages, or tobacco use. Tooth whitening is a cosmetic procedure and does not affect the function of the teeth. While this is an elective treatment, badly stained or yellowed teeth do affect appearance and can negatively affect a person’s confidence. People who have stained or yellowed teeth may feel uncomfortable about smiling, which can affect their social and professional lives. White teeth are also considered to appear more youthful and healthy.
What Causes Stained Teeth?
Tooth discoloration is most often due to staining from consuming substances like coffee, tea, wine, and tobacco products. Yellowing can also occur due to the tooth enamel thinning. The yellow tint results from thinning of the outer layer of enamel and the underlayer, called dentin, which is yellowish in color shows through. Radiation and chemotherapy can cause stains, as can some medications.
How Does Whitening Work?
Teeth whitening might more accurately be called bleaching. The materials used in the whitening products contain hydrogen peroxide. Most professional whitening products use carbamide peroxide, which lifts stains from the teeth. Although at-home products are available, dental products are stronger and more effective. The dentist can also use special lights or lasers to increase the whitening effect. Most in-office treatments are completed in one visit, although the teeth will need to be thoroughly cleaned and any decay or tartar build up removed before the whitening procedure can take place.
Is Bleaching Safe?
Dr. Rathee only uses clinically tested, trusted teeth whitening products and procedures to ensure that each patient achieves the best possible results without any unwanted side effects. Some patients report is tooth sensitivity to temperature after the procedure. However, the sensitivity usually fades quickly and no other discomfort is experienced.
Teeth whitening treatments are one of the most commonly requested procedures at Anita Rathee, DDS. Dr. Rathee and our staff believes that West Hills patients should have smiles that they love to show off. While we offer a range of cosmetic dentistry services to makeover any smile, teeth whitening is the most popular because of the quick and noticeable results.
Benefits of Teeth Whitening at Anita Rathee, DDS
There are many over-the-counter products that are designed to be used at home without the need for supervision by a dentist. However, these over-the-counter products cannot provide the same level of whitening strength as the professional-grade treatments provided at Anita Rathee, DDS. Additionally, the products available in stores take a longer time to garner noticeable whitening.
At our West Hills office, our teeth bleaching products have concentrations of hydrogen peroxide ranging from 25% to 40%. Teeth bleaching products sold in stores typically have concentrations of 3.5% or less. Before the bleaching product is applied by Dr. Anderson or a member of our dental staff, a protective gel is applied to the gums. Whitening procedures in our office often only take one hour and only need to be repeated if the desired level of whitening is not achieved.
Whitening at Home
After your professional whitening appointment, you may wish to purchase whitening products from our West Hills office. Our staff can recommend the appropriate product for you to use at regular intervals to keep your smile bright.
Call us today at (818) 348-8898 to smile brighter.