Teeth Whitening

A brighter smile has never been more attainable at Westlake Smile Studio. You can choose between having your teeth immediately whitened in our office via appointment or gradually over time with our take-home whitening kit – no need to ditch your morning coffee!

How Does Teeth Whitening Work?

Our in-office teeth whitening service (called Zoom!) is quick and painless. During your appointment, we apply barriers around your gums, lips, and cheeks to protect them from the whitening gel solution of peroxide that will be placed on your teeth. A specialized LED light will be positioned over your teeth to work in unison with the peroxide gel for accelerated whitening (up to 8 shades lighter!) in just under an hour in our chair.

We also offer a custom take-home whitening kit that yields results over a two-week period. Impressions or digital scans are taken of your teeth to fabricate custom trays that will fit perfectly over the shape of your teeth. Take-home, professional strength whitening gel will be given to you, along with instructions on application of the gel into the trays for gradual whitening.

Who is a candidate for Teeth Whitening?

Most people with healthy teeth and gums will be good candidates for teeth whitening. However, some darker teeth will be more resistant to whitening procedures. Teeth that are discolored with grey, red, or brown tones will be more resistant, and often times will not yield optimal whitening results. A common example of teeth with grey, red or brown tones are teeth affected by tetracycline staining.

Another example of teeth that may not be ideal for teeth whitening procedures are teeth that have white spots as a result of excess fluoride, vitamin deficiency, acid erosion or decalcification. In such cases, porcelain veneers may be a better treatment option.

Do over-the-counter and online whitening systems such as Crest White Strips work?

In short, yes, they can work, but not as well as professional systems that can only be administered by your dental office. For example, you may have to use a couple of boxes of Crest White Strips before seeing results, compared to only an hour in our office for results. The strengths of whitening products available over-the-counter are also much lower than what can be provided at Westlake Smile Studio. It is the same idea as being able getting over-the-counter pain-killer for a headache, but a prescription pain medicine written by a doctor will be of much higher strength and efficacy.

My teeth are sensitive – can I still whiten them?

Our professional teeth whitening procedures may cause temporary sensitivity, but should not persist longer than a day or two post treatment. Care must be taken to follow custom take-home tray use instructions to avoid over-whitening, which can lead to harmful short-term and/or long-term issues.