Teeth whitening or bleaching is a process where stains are removed from your tooth structure with a chemical called, Carbamide Peroxide. We do not recommend the use of whitening toothpastes to achieve the same result. Although they may seem to work, the whitening toothpastes are more of an abrasive nature and will begin to strip off small amounts of your tooth's precious enamel over time. Whitening gels do not contain any abrasive chemicals and the whitening process does not damage your tooth structure. The whitening effect doesn't last forever, therefore touchups are often needed to maintain the whiten look, but the frequency of touchups is dependent on the consumption of dark liquids (sodas and even red wine), nuts (such as walnuts and almonds), some types of foods, as well as if one smokes. For most, the whitened teeth appearance can last around a year's time. There are 3 ways to bleach your teeth:

In-Office
Tray Bleaching or
Over the Counter Bleaching

In our office, we recommend the Tray Bleaching (#2) method because of reusability. The bleaching gel used in tray bleaching comes in a syringe format. The trays are formed from impressions or moulds of your teeth and fit very accurately and can be reused many times. Typically the process involves loading the tray with the whitening gel, and wearing the tray for about 2 hours time over 7-8 days. We prefer this method because it is a balance between cost and convenience. Refills syringes are available to purchase from our office. Over the Counter bleaching is the cheapest option, but may take the longest to get to the results you are looking for. There are few side effects to whitening of the teeth. Teeth sensitivity is the most common with any method, with in-office whitening causing the most sensitivity. The sensitivity is transient; it does not linger once you stop whitening. We recommend if any teeth sensitivity should arise, stop for a day or two, in other words take a break, and then try whitening again. We'll be happy to entertain any questions or inquiries into any whitening method you may have. Please consult with your dental provider.

Smile design is a process involving diagnosis, planning, and treatment to help improve one's smile. Sometimes it may be severe enough to warrant rehabilitation of one's entire mouth. There are a variety of innovative techniques and great materials in dentistry today that allow us to provide the highest level of care to improve your smile. For more information, simply start a conversation about your concerns with your dental provider.

Night guards are oral retainers or appliances that are typically worn at night time or while you sleep. They are used because your dental professional recommended it to help curb or treat the side effects of bruxism (i.e. clenching and/or grinding habits). Bruxism habits are quite destructive to natural tooth structure and to the whole masticatory system. The night guard is worn to help alleviate pain and/or other side effects from bruxism. If you suspect you maybe grinding and/or clenching your teeth, please consult with your dental provider for more information and an examination.