Teeth Whitening

Professional teeth whitening uses peroxide-based gels, at concentrations only a dental office can use, to break up stains in and just under the enamel. Done in the chair or with custom take-home trays, it is the most conservative cosmetic treatment there is: no drilling, no enamel removed, nothing bonded.

Its target is surface and age-related discoloration — coffee, tea, red wine, tobacco, and the gradual yellowing of enamel over time. What changes: shade. What does not: shape, alignment, or the color of any fillings, crowns, or veneers, which stay the color they were made.

Professional vs. store-bought whitening

Store kits and whitening strips genuinely work for mild staining — the honest difference is strength, fit, and supervision:

• Concentration: office gels are stronger than anything sold over the counter, so shade change comes faster and goes further.
• Fit: custom trays hold gel evenly against your teeth; strips and one-size trays miss curves and can leave uneven results.
• Supervision: an exam first catches the things that make whitening fail or hurt — decay, exposed roots, and stains that sit inside the tooth rather than in the enamel.
• Cost: store products cost less per attempt; repeated attempts on stains that need professional strength can erase the savings.

A fair recommendation: try strips for mild, even staining if you want. See a dentist when results plateau, when sensitivity develops, or when a single dark tooth is the problem — that last one needs a diagnosis, not more gel. Whitening is also the standard first step before veneers or bonding, since restorations are matched to your shade once and never whiten afterward.