At-Home Teeth Whitening
Dentist San Marcos
In San Marcos
Stains and yellowing shouldn’t hold you back from simply smiling. When your teeth are straight and healthy, but could use a boost, brighten your smile with at-home teeth whitening.
Why should I choose at-home teeth whitening?
Why not?! Teeth whitening treatments are some of the most versatile and least expensive cosmetic dental treatments available. Brightening your smile by just a few shades makes you look younger and healthier. Many patients are amazed at the difference their whiter smiles make on their overall appearance. With a brighter smile comes more confidence. And when whitening options come at a lower price point than almost every other cosmetic dental treatment, teeth whitening is typically the biggest bang for your buck.
Custom Whitening Trays Without The Goopy Impressions
Our intraoral scanner captures a 3D image of your teeth so we can create custom whitening trays fitted to your smile. Get long-lasting, custom trays without goopy impressions.
Did you know…
Your teeth have pores, just like a sponge, which causes them to absorb stains.
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The Benefits of At-Home Teeth Whitening
Brighter Smiles
Get a brighter smile that makes you look years younger in just a few weeks while lounging at home.
Affordable Cosmetic Treatment
Few cosmetic dental treatments give you fast results at an affordable price.
Renewed Confidence
Everyone deserves to feel great about their smile, and you can too in just a few weeks while in the comfort of your own home.
The At-Home Teeth Whitening Treatment Process
Treatment Plan
At your consultation, you’ll discuss your needs with your dentist. If teeth whitening isn’t right for your situation, we can discuss alternatives. But if teeth whitening is the best option to help you smile brighter, we’ll provide a treatment plan that allows you to achieve your goals.
Custom Trays
To start your at-home teeth whitening treatment, your dentist will take digital models of your teeth with an intraoral scanner. These models will be sent to a dental lab, where a set of reusable, durable custom whitening trays will be built for your teeth.
Instructions & Application
Once your custom trays have been built, you’ll come back into our office to get your trays from your dentist, as well as a set of whitening products and instructions on how to use your whitening trays. Then, you’ll simply follow these instructions and whiten your teeth in the comfort of your own home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Check out these frequently asked questions, or call us to speak with our team.
Can teeth whitening damage teeth?
Professional teeth whitening that is overseen and administered by a qualified dentist will never damage your teeth. Your dentist will ensure that you get the proper whitening products and that you do not over whiten your teeth.
However, it is possible to damage the teeth by over whitening them. The peroxide-based whiteners used in the teeth whitening process can weaken the teeth and damage the enamel if they are not used properly, or are used too frequently.
For this reason, it’s a good idea to avoid over-the-counter (OTC) teeth whitening kits from sources like Amazon and other websites, which could contain dangerously-high levels of peroxide.
If you do not want to pay for professional teeth whitening services from your dentist, make sure you only use ADA-approved whitening products. ADA-approved products have relatively low concentrations of peroxide, so the risk of enamel damage from over-whitening is much lower.
Which teeth whitening products actually work?
There are two categories of teeth whitening products that actually work.
The first are abrasive whiteners, such as toothpaste that contains baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), and other very mild abrasives. These abrasives work similarly to sandpaper, rubbing plaque and surface stains away from your teeth. These abrasive whiteners work on minor stains, but the abrasive is not strong enough to damage enamel.
It is recommended that you avoid charcoal toothpaste, which has abrasives that may be hard enough to damage your enamel with frequent use. Stick to an ADA-approved whitening toothpaste product.
The second category of teeth whitening products that actually work are chemical whiteners that contain peroxide. These are available both from dentists and over-the-counter, but it’s best to work with a dentist to get your desired results, and ensure that your teeth are not damaged by over whitening.
To explore your options in further detail and make sure you choose a safe, effective teeth whitening product, get in touch with your dentist for a consult.
Why does teeth whitening cause sensitivity?
The precise reason that whitening causes sensitivity is not fully known, but the leading theory is that it’s due to “dentinal microtubules.” These extremely small, microscopic channels in our teeth connect the exterior of the tooth enamel to the interior nerve, allowing us to feel sensations in our teeth.
The theory is that, since peroxide-based whiteners weaken the enamel very slightly, this exposes the microtubules, which become much more sensitive. Then, as the enamel remineralizes and becomes stronger after the whitening process is over, they are sealed up again, and no longer feel overly sensitive. This would explain why the sensitivity caused by teeth whitening typically only lasts for a few days.