Why Whiten Your Teeth?

According to a national survey from the American Dental Association (ADA) and Crest® and Oral B®, a person's teeth and smile outranked their eyes, hair and the body as the most attractive physical feature. But many people keep their smiles to themselves, embarrassed by yellowed or stained teeth.

Many factors can cause your teeth to become discolored:

• Antibiotics - The use of antibiotics during childhood, or exposure to high levels of fluoride or tetracycline can cause dull or discolored teeth.
• Certain foods - Oranges, carrots and other foods can yellow teeth, as can coffee, tea, and foods and drinks with tannins (like red wines).
• Tobacco - Both smoking and chewing can lead to severe staining and discoloration of the teeth.
• Genetics - Some people are just born with discoloration of their teeth.
• Age - Teeth usually darken as you get older.

At-Home Whitening Or Bleaching Trays?

Once you've decided to brighten your smile, you can either use over-the-counter remedies or choose to let us make you custom fit bleaching trays for you to take home. At-home treatments include:

• Rinses - These easy-to-use, mouthwash-type rinses whiten smiles gradually, since they're only in contact with teeth for a short time.
• Toothpastes - Since these toothpastes remove surface stains with enzymes or mild abrasives, they can make teeth sensitive.
• Gel strips - For best effect, these peroxide-based strips need to be applied once a day, usually for 30 minutes to two hours, and work best when used for 10 to 20 days.

Here at Marsh Lane Dental, we can also make you custom fit bleaching trays and provide you with some of the strongest and most advanced type of bleaching gels. These gels are much stronger than the at-home treatments and our staff will properly go over instructions on how properly use them at home.