If you like dramatic colors, this is the time of year for you. Your neighborhood is suddenly beautiful when the leaves turn from green to gold, red, and orange. Not all color changes are so welcome, though. You may notice your smile looks kind of brown or gray. If so, why not whiten your teeth this fall? You have three teeth whitening options at Silver Leaf Dentistry, one of which will be right for you.

Dr. Kory Wallin will answer all of your questions and explain all of the possible treatments, so you can choose the one that’s best for your smile. Call 720-504-2539 today to schedule a consultation with him.

Here’s What to Consider When You Whiten Your Teeth

There are many factors to consider when you whiten your teeth. Among them:

  • Type of Staining – Some stains respond well to whitening treatments, while others do not.
  • Your Teeth’s Condition – If your teeth have other flaws such as chips or gaps, it may make sense to use a treatment that can correct those issues too.
  • Frequency of Treatment – You’ll need to regularly repeat whitening treatments to keep your smile bright. If you’d rather not do this, consider a more permanent solution.
  • Expense – While whitening treatments are the most affordable option, the costs of repeated treatments do add up. Again, if you can correct stains and other cosmetic issues simultaneously, you won’t need to worry about the added expense of other smile improvements.

When Teeth Whitening May Be Your Best Option

Teeth whitening treatments are most effective on:

  • Extrinsic Stains – Stains that affect only the outer layer of your tooth enamel are called extrinsic stains. They often respond well to whitening treatments. Intrinsic stains, where the inside of your tooth has darkened or changed color, typically won’t respond as well to whitening.
  • Certain Shades – Teeth with yellow/brown undertones are usually easier to whiten than teeth with gray/green tones.
  • Younger Teeth – Teeth whitening is less effective if your tooth enamel is thin, which happens as you get older.

It Often Makes Sense to Try Teeth Whitening First

You may want to first try our most conservative – and least expensive – method to whiten your teeth. We use whitening treatments from KöR and Opalescence, two well respected brands.

KöR keeps their treatments refrigerated from the point of manufacture until they are used on your teeth. The bleaching ingredients in other products break down and become less effective when exposed to temperature extremes in warehouses and on freight trucks. Because of this, KöR can get your teeth up to 16 shades brighter with a treatment in our Longmont office.

For home whitening, we offer professional-strength products from Opalescence. If you’re a new patient, you’ll receive a.

Skip Drugstore Whitening Products

If you’re tempted to purchase a kit from a drugstore to whiten your teeth, you may want to reconsider. Those products:

  • Don’t Work as Well – With a lower concentration of whitening ingredients than our professional whitening treatments, they just don’t work as well. Because of substances added to keep them shelf stable, they can also irritate your teeth and/or gums.
  • Are Harder to Use – Drugstore kits involve messy strips or flimsy trays, neither of which provide the kind of coverage you’ll get from our treatments.

Consider Veneers or Bonding to Whiten Your Teeth

Stubborn or deep stains that don’t respond well to whitening treatments can be covered up instead, with or dental bonding.

Dental Veneers

In addition to changing your teeth’s color, these restorations can modify the shape and/or size of teeth too. They work well for hdiing flaws like chips, small cracks, gaps between teeth, and worn teeth. Custom-made veneers are highly durable and stain resistant. With proper care, you can wear them for up to 20 years – or even longer. Dr. Wallin will remove a bit of enamel from your teeth before bonding your veneers in place. The process is typically completed in two or three appointments.

Dental Bonding

A bonding procedure is an alternative to veneers. It is more affordable and can usually be completed in a single appointment. Dr. Wallin will apply tooth-colored composite – the same material used for fillings – to your teeth to cover stains and other minor imperfections. He’ll then “cure” it with a special blue light. Because composite is more prone to staining than veneers and not as durable, it won’t last as long. Many factors will affect its longevity, but you can typically expect bonding to last from three to 10 years.

Ready to whiten your teeth? Call us today at 720-504-2539.