Why Your Teeth Change Color
Your teeth change color for a whole mix of reasons. Coffee, tea, red wine, and dark foods gradually stain your enamel. Smoking leaves yellow and brown discoloration. As you age, the bright outer enamel slowly wears thin, letting the darker dentin underneath show through. Certain medications and childhood fluorosis can cause deeper staining from the inside. Knowing the cause is how Dr. Karamcheti picks the right whitening approach for your smile.
Your In-Office Whitening Visit
In-office whitening is the fastest way to brighten your smile dramatically. Your gums and lips are protected first, then a professional-strength whitening gel goes on the front of your teeth and gets activated. In about an unhurried hour, you leave the office with teeth several shades lighter. This option is perfect when you have a wedding, class reunion, family photo day, or a big UVA event coming up and you want results right now.
Custom Take-Home Trays
A lot of our Charlottesville neighbors prefer custom take-home trays because they’re convenient and the results come in beautifully at your own pace. You’ll get a digital impression of your teeth, and ultra-thin trays are fabricated to fit your upper and lower arches precisely. You wear them for 30 to 60 minutes a day (or overnight, depending on the gel strength) for about two weeks. Plenty of people combine a single in-office session with take-home trays for the best of both worlds.
Professional vs. Drugstore Whitening
Over-the-counter strips and toothpastes can do something for minor surface stains, but they can’t match the depth of change you get with professional gel in custom-fitted trays. More importantly, professional whitening is safer for you — you’re screened for sensitivity, decay, and gum health first, and the gel concentration is dialed in to your enamel. With simple touch-ups every six to twelve months, your results can hold up for years.