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1. Smile if Your Teeth Are Bright
Tried-and true bleach trays are back!

2. In the last decade, celebs with startlingly white
chompers have ruled big and small screens. Like the
adage that you can never be too rich or too thin, it
seems your teeth can’t be too white, either.
The trend has led to nearly instant-gratification laser
teeth whitening in dentists’ offices, and spread to
shopping malls, where (presided over by a doctor)
technicians use a high-powered solution and hot
lights to produce stunning results in less than an
hour. Like any emerging technology, the
proliferation of whitening systems has forced prices
lower and lower.

3. Even at mass appeal pricing, the profit margins for
dental offices are impressive. So why are some
dentists sticking with the tried-and-true bleach trays?
Dr. Gregory Oman, DDS PC, whose busy Utah
practice doesn’t perform laser teeth whitening at all,
explains that the white glow you see right after a
laser session is the desiccation of your enamel; once
moisture returns to your teeth in a day or so, the
polar white shade starts to fade.

4. According to the American Academy of Cosmetic
Dentistry, in-office (or laser) whitening can be a
helpful “jumpstart” to the proven long-term
technique of home bleaching with professionally
constructed mouthguard trays and gel.
In-Office Whitening

5. Dr. Oman’s office takes impressions from which
fabricated custom vinyl trays are made (the fit is
important: bleach can leak out from ill-fitting trays
and get dissolved by saliva).
A carbamide peroxide gel is placed in the trays,
which you’ll wear for one to two hours for up to a
month of daily use. Carbamide peroxide gel is the
most common bleaching agent, in a concentration
ranging from 10 to 16 percent, though stronger
solutions don’t seem to produce whiter smiles or
work faster, since they still take time to penetrate the
surface.

6. “Laser” whitening is actually a misnomer. Most
treatments use an ultraviolet light to assist a peroxide
gel in whitening your teeth by oxidation. The idea is
that they accelerate the breakdown of oxygen
molecules, from the peroxide, into reactive oxygen
atoms, which denature colored proteins in the tooth’s
surface. Heating the tooth like this pushes water out
of the tooth, drying the enamel and making it appear
whiter.

7. Great for last-minute events, but a clinical study
showed that nearly half the initial change in color
from a one-hour intensive light whitening may be
lost within seven days.
There are many options for getting and maintaining
your bright smile. Your dentist can help you decide
what’s best for you.