Looking for a brighter, more confident smile? At Gunbarrel Dental Center in Boulder, CO, we offer professional teeth whitening treatments that safely and effectively lighten your tooth enamel. This cosmetic dentistry treatment can safely and effectively lighten your tooth enamel. Cosmetic dentist Dr. Rachel Barone provides in-office and take-home options to suit your needs.
What Causes Tooth Stains?
Teeth can become stained or discolored for many different reasons. Some stains are on the outside of the tooth, while others happen inside the tooth and are harder to treat. Understanding what causes stained teeth can help you prevent or reduce discoloration.
- Dental Injuries: If you crack or chip a tooth, it can damage the enamel, the hard, outer layer of your tooth. This damage can expose the inner layer, called dentin, which is naturally darker in color. When dentin shows through, the tooth may look gray, yellow, or even brown. Your tooth may also darken over time as a reaction to the injury.
- Genetics: Some people are born with teeth that are more likely to stain or discolor. Your enamel might be thinner or less white because of your genetic makeup. Thinner enamel makes the dentin underneath more visible and gives your teeth a slightly darker look.
- Foods and Drinks: Dark-colored foods and drinks, like coffee, tea, red wine, berries, and tomato sauce, can stain your teeth. These contain strong pigments called chromogens that stick to your enamel and build up over time. Even healthy foods like fruits can cause stains if you eat them often without brushing afterward. Drinking through a straw or rinsing with water after meals can help reduce stains.
- Tobacco Use: Smoking cigarettes, vaping, or using chewing tobacco can quickly turn your teeth yellow or brown. This happens because of the nicotine and tar found in tobacco, which cling to your enamel. Over time, the stains become harder to remove and may require professional cleaning. Tobacco use can also dry out your mouth, which makes staining worse and causes dry mouth.
The two types of tooth stains are extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic stains are on the surface of your teeth. These stains come from things like food, drinks, or tobacco. They can usually be removed with whitening treatments or professional cleanings.
Intrinsic stains are inside the tooth. They’re caused by things like injuries, certain medications, tooth decay, or even genetics. Intrinsic stains don’t go away with regular whitening and may need other treatments, like teeth bonding or veneers.
Zoom! QuickPro Teeth Whitening at Gunbarrel Dental Center
We offer professional whitening with Philips Zoom! QuickPro. This system offers a fast and effective way to brighten your smile. You can get in-office and take-home teeth whitening treatment in our Boulder, CO, dental office.
In-Office Whitening
For in-office whitening, we first clean your teeth so you don’t have particles on your teeth that impact your results. We check your current tooth shade using a guide and you pick your desired shade. Then we dry your teeth and protect your gums to reduce sensitivity.
After that, we apply a special two-layer whitening solution. The first layer is a 20% hydrogen peroxide varnish, which whitens your teeth. The second layer is a sealer that keeps the whitening solution in place. You wait for about 30 minutes, and then you can wipe off the varnish with a damp cloth or brush your teeth.
In-office tooth whitening is a great option for you if you have a special event like a birthday, wedding, or graduation. You can get whitening results in just one office visit.
Take-Home Whitening
If you prefer to whiten your teeth in the comfort of your own home, Dr. Barone can create custom trays for you. She’ll take impressions of your teeth to make the trays, which fit your teeth perfectly. You’ll also get whitening gel to place in the trays. Dr. Barone will explain how long to wear the trays each day based on your whitening goals.
Take-home treatment is a more cost-effective form of teeth whitening. You can also benefit from this type of whitening if you don’t need immediate results or have sensitive teeth.