You can expect Dr. Brandon Turley or Dr. Matt Nuttall to ask you to describe in detail what you like and dislike about your smile, and what you want to change. Because aesthetic problems such as missing or discolored and stained teeth can also point to underlying health issues, a comprehensive oral exam is a must. Dr. Turley or Dr. Nuttall will look over your gums and teeth, examine recent x-rays, and talk to you about any dental symptoms or pain you may be experiencing.

Am I a Candidate?

If you have any of these conditions, we may discourage or delay whitening treatments:

• Sensitivity-Teeth whitening can make your teeth a bit sensitive to heat, cold, and pressure in the weeks following treatment.
• Gum Disease-Gum disease treatments may include deep cleaning, antibiotic rinses, and surgery to reduce the size of pockets prior to applying whitening agents.
• Tooth Decay-Any cavities need to be filled prior to applying whitening chemicals to your teeth.
• Restorations-Whitening treatments won’t damage extensive crowns or bonding, however it will not change its color, either. If you have your teeth whitened, the crowns and bonding may become obvious in your mouth as they will be darker than your teeth.
• Pregnancy or Lactation-The effects of tooth whitening on pregnancy and on lactating women have not been well evaluated, so most dentists recommend that pregnant or nursing women wait until they are no longer pregnant or nursing to have their teeth whitened.

At-Home or Professional Teeth Whitening?

A relatively inexpensive way to brighten your smile, whitening teeth can be accomplished athome or in the dentist's chair. Tooth whitening procedures can remove stains associated withaging, drinking coffee, or smoking. They cannot, however, reverse staining from antibiotic use.Over-the-counter whitening toothpastes, rinses, gel strips and whitening tray kits from thepharmacy may whiten your teeth one or two shades, but in order to get dramatically whiter teethand remove deeper tooth stains, you'll need to see a cosmetic dentist for treatment.Dentist supervised whitening will get you safer and better results than over the counter methodsbecause we use stronger bleaching agents, custom made mouthpiece trays and for in-officeprocedures the whitening agent is used in combination with a special light or laser which speedsup the whitening process for dramatic results you can see right away for 90% of patients.Varying from person to person, your teeth may appear up to 10 shades whiter followingtreatment. However, these results are not permanent. You'll need to take some steps to keeping your teeth white and bright for as long as possible after your professional whitening process:

• Avoid dark-colored beverages like coffee, red wine, and dark beer.
• When you do drink dark-colored beverages, sip them through a straw to minimize contact with your front teeth.
• Brush and floss thoroughly every day.
• Quit smoking.
• Have your teeth professionally cleaned by a dental hygienist every six months.

The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry cites a recent study in which participants were shown photos of people before and after smile-enhancing treatment. The people with improved smiles were rated not just as more attractive, but also more popular, sensitive, successful, and friendly. Give Dr. Turley or Dr. Nuttall at Comfort Dental South Tacoma WA in Tacoma a call today to see how we can help you have the smile you’ve always wanted!