In our Shelby Township Michigan dental office we have a few methods that we use to whiten teeth.

Bleaching or whitening of teeth is performed basically by the breaking down of large stain molecules that penetrate the micro cracks in the enamel.  These large molecules actually absorb light and the larger the molecule the more light is absorbed making the tooth look darker.  The goal is therefore to break the molecule into smaller molecules which give the appearance of having whiter teeth.  The active ingredient in the bleach is a peroxide agent which contains free radicals.  These free radicals are very unstable agents.   The more unstable they are the more active they become.  The problem is how to preserve the “punch” that they have when applied to the teeth.  Most bleaching products are preserved in an acidic solution which has the potential of making the teeth sensitive.  The alternative route that the Kor Deep bleaching system uses is to refrigerate their products from manufacturing, shipping and even storage at the dental office.  This method makes it much more powerful of a bleaching agent, yet is formulated because of its neutral pH to be kinder to the teeth and much more effective.  This also makes it more expensive of a product because of the handling and actual cost to purchase by the dentist.  Because of the scientific nature developed by the Kor system it is extremely effective even on tetracycline stained teeth with very little sensitivity.

For both the Kor Deep Bleaching system and the Zoom! you get a sustained and long term result by bleaching at home with the plastic trays.  Both of these systems use the “in office” step/steps using very strong peroxides to jump start the process but need whitening at home for it to last.  Because both “in office” systems require office chair time and home trays they are about double the price of home whitening.

At The Gentle Dentist office in Macomb county Michigan we are very detailed with making the bleaching trays.  All of the methods require a precisely fitting tray which ends exactly at the gum line.  If you have trays that are cut straight across which covers the gums it will burn your gums, making your teeth very painful.  This is the level of detail we work at to give  you the best result possible no matter which bleaching technique you choose.

• Home bleaching is the method most popular in our office and we use the night/day white system by Discuss dental.  This is used on people who have little to no thermal sensitivity to their teeth and want an effective product that costs the least.  We charge $325 for this.
• Zoom! whitening.  I have this available, but because of the sensitivity issues that can come along with this I don’t use it that often.  The light has been shown to be not that effective compared with using the bleaching product alone.  The results are fast but must be followed up with the home whitening trays for a couple of weeks to have the sustained results.  This method is $450 at the office.
• Kor Deep bleaching is in a category of its own as described above.  This includes 2 in office procedures, home trays, desensitizer .  This method also comes with a money back guarantee which is endorsed by the company.  This method is $997 at the office and can create the most dramatic results you can imagine even on tetracycline stained teeth.  If you consider the cost of a single veneer is about the same as this but  you end up with an entire mouth of significantly whiter teeth without pain and then isn’t that a great deal!

If you have any questions about this you can email Dr. Antolak at www.DrAntolak@TheGentleDentist.com, call the office at (586)247-3500 or visit our web site at www.TheGentleDentist.com.

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We are also locate at 15055 22 Mile #2, Shelby Twp, MI 48315