Has your bright smile grown progressively duller over the years? Teeth whitening treatment offers a quick, simple way to remove stains caused by foods, beverages or smoking. Our Northwest Houston, TX, dentist, Dr. Brent Browning, explains how the whitening process works.

Teeth whitening eliminates stains

Food and tobacco stains become embedded in small pores in your tooth enamel. No matter how often you brush, you'll never be able to remove the stains caused by foods or beverages that contain dark pigments, such as coffee, tea, red wine, cola, soy sauce, berries or tomato sauce.

Teeth whitening uses hydrogen peroxide to break apart the pigments lurking deep in your enamel. Once those pigments are gone, your teeth will be much brighter and whiter.

Home vs. professional whitening

You'll find plenty of products to whiten your teeth in the aisles of Northwest Houston drug and discount stores, from strips to trays to products you brush on your teeth. Unfortunately, these products can take a long time to work and may not produce the results you wanted. Professional whitening agents contain stronger formulations of hydrogen peroxide than drugstore kits and offer better, more consistent results

The whitening process

When you arrive for a Zoom! whitening session in our office, your gums and roots will be coated with a protective gel and you'll receive a pair of goggles which will protect your eyes. After the hydrogen peroxide gel is applied to your teeth, they'll be exposed to the Zoom! light. The light activates the hydrogen peroxide gel, which breaks apart the stains. Whitening is usually accomplished in three 15-minute sessions. At the end of your session, your teeth will be covered with a fluoride gel to help reduce sensitivity.

Zoom! offers long-lasting results

Your teeth may be as much as 10 shades whiter when you leave our office. You can maintain your results for years by avoiding foods and beverages that stain teeth and occasionally touching up your teeth with Nite White ACP, an at-home whitener that not only whitens teeth but also remineralizes your tooth enamel.

Ready to revitalize your smile with teeth whitening? Call our Northwest Houston, TX, dentist, Dr. Browning, at (281) 370-4300 to schedule an appointment.