Zoom! Teeth Whitening seems so convenient, cost effective and accessible. It seems that every dentist offers Zoom! Teeth whitening. Why should I come to a professional such as yourself for custom teeth whitening? (Dr. Muslin – maybe focus on “every dentist can do it” – i.e. a mass production product where no skill is required.

Answer:

After bleaching teeth for over 15 years, buying the Zoom II whitening system and using it, seeing patients that had Brite Smile whitening and Zoom whitening in other dental offices and trying many different methods, I have come to the conclusion that the best whitening systems are systems that are customized to the patient’s individual needs. The cost is generally not more expensive to whiten teeth using the best teeth whitening methods. Some patients have yellow teeth, some patients have highly mineralized teeth, other patients have tetracycline stained teeth, some patients have very sensitive teeth, while other patients have grey or very translucent teeth.

I have found that the systems that use a high powered light generate a lot of heat that can raise the nerve temperature inside the teeth or burn the gums or lips. I have also found that the teeth bleaching systems that use a light have results that do not last as long and can make the teeth more sensitive to temperature. We have had patients claim it was painful and the results did not last. They said, “a month later and my teeth were yellow again”.

The idea behind the light systems is that any dentist can do it. No thinking required, just follow the directions. The best teeth whitening systems may use one material one week and another complimentary material the next. Rather than just one method, we have several choices available to get the best possible results for our patients. The ability to customize the duration of exposure, strength of material, eliminate the heat from a light is a big advantage over the idea that one system fits everyone.

With increased duration of exposure with a gentle teeth whitening material we get results that last longer and bleaches the teeth to a natural whiter color.

Dr. Sam, my teeth seems to be much duller and more discolored than others in my age group. I do not smoke. What could cause this and how can it be fixed?

Answer:

Let’s talk about discolored or dark teeth.

Teeth can be discolored for a variety of reasons.  It could be in our genes to have a darker color to our teeth.  We could have been exposed to tetracycline when we were a child, that would have caused our teeth to be permanently darker.  Our tooth enamel could be weaker due to childhood illness, which made it easier for the teeth to stain. 

The good news is that the color of the teeth can be hidden.  The tooth enamel can be stronger.  The teeth can be less sensitive and cosmetically we can have any shade we would like without having to get our teeth ground down.  The entire process is non-invasive.  Many dental labs offer porcelain veneers that require little to no grinding to your natural teeth as Lumineers and Vivineers.  In my office, at the present time I am working with a local ceramist that brings the work to my office before it is glazed.  This allows me to control the shade and the shapes of the teeth for an individualized and customized look. 

Today, the patients want their work to look natural.  They want to look better but do not want fake white teeth.  They want their porcelain veneers to look great but be undetectable.  Today’s patients have raised the bar of quality.  The bulky, fake denture looking teeth are not longer good enough.  Today’s patients want naturally looking teeth that are healthy and white.  It takes the artistic eye of the dentist to deliver.

Dr. Sam, what is the perfect color for my teeth?

Answer:

The perfect color for your teeth is subject to your opinion. You may love your teeth to be too white because it looks great to you and but maybe not to your friends. The Hollywood crowd seems to like teeth that are so white; their smile overwhelms their face.

All that you can see is big white teeth glaring at you when they smile. It looks artificial and somewhat too desperate to look striking.

However, a patient can have white teeth that have translucency built into the porcelain so the color density is more natural. This level of care requires far more skill by the dentist.

The Perfect Color for Teeth

The perfect color to your teeth would be a combination of skin color, eye color, shape of your face, thickness of your lips and how much you smile. As an example, if you have thick lips, it would be better if you picked a shade that was whiter because your thick lips cause the teeth to look darker. Thick lips stop the light from reflecting on the teeth thus making them appear darker.

In my office, all factors are considered and are very important in order to give you the perfect color for your individual facial characteristics. The color is only part of the equation as the shape of the teeth can greatly affect the over all results. You may have the perfect color but you still don’t look good because the shape is wrong for your face.

Most dentists take an impression and send it to the lab to make the teeth. The lab just makes the teeth in a standard form. The teeth are standardized and not customized. Why have teeth that are shaped and shaded like everyone else? It is better to work on your specific characteristics and enhance your best features by specifically shaping and angling your teeth personally.

I take about 20 full-face photos from all angles and 20 close up photos that are displayed on a big screen. My ceramist and I work on developing the perfect shade, the shapes of your teeth, the color depth and the translucency to fit your face. The results are worth the effort.