Teeth whitening at the dentist removes stains from the tooth’s surface. We provide in-office and take-home teeth whitening, and power bleaching. Teeth whitening is a cosmetic dental treatment that can improve the appearance of teeth. We offer teeth whitening in San Antonio to make our patients’ smiles look better and help them feel more confident.
We whiten teeth to remove the effects of coffee, cigarettes, and other substances that permanently stain or discolor teeth. Aging, taking certain medications, and too much fluoride may also cause tooth stains. However, whitening services can’t remove all stains. No matter the cause of your tooth stains, we will find the proper treatment.
What Causes Tooth Stains?
You may have discolored, darkened, or yellowed teeth for one or more reasons. Common causes of tooth stains include:
- Tooth Damage: You may notice your tooth has turned gray after you chip or break a tooth because of the blood vessels within it. After a dental injury, blood flow to your tooth decreases. This can cause your tooth to darken.
- Foods and Drinks: Coffee, tea, wine, berries, and other foods and drinks contain chromogens. Chromogens are chemical compounds that dye teeth. Even if you brush and floss, you can get tooth stains because of what you eat and drink.
- Medications: Tooth stains may be a side effect of some medications. Antihistamines, antipsychotics, and other medications can increase your risk of tooth stains.
- Aging: As you get older, your tooth enamel, or outer layer, can wear down. When this happens, it reveals the darker dentin underneath. This wear and tear can lead to discolored or darkened teeth.
- Fluorosis: Dental fluorosis is a condition that happens when extra fluoride creates white or brown spots on teeth. While these spots are harmless, they affect the look of your smile.
- Tobacco Use: Smoking cigarettes, vaping, and using other tobacco products regularly leads to multiple oral health issues. In addition to bad breath, gum disease, and tooth decay, tobacco products can lead to stained teeth. The nicotine in tobacco can make your teeth look yellow.
Types of Tooth Stains
The cause of your tooth stains can impact your treatment. We can treat two common types of tooth stains:
- Intrinsic Stains: These stains occur within the tooth. Common causes of intrinsic tooth stains include tooth damage, aging, and some medications. Intrinsic stains are harder to remove and often do not react to professional whitening treatments.
- Extrinsic Stains: These tooth stains happen outside the tooth. Foods, drinks, and tobacco use are common causes of extrinsic stains. We can remove these stains with in-office and take-home whitening treatments.
Our office may recommend different whitening treatments depending on your type of tooth stain. For example, we will not recommend professional whitening treatment if you have intrinsic stains. Instead, we will recommend cosmetic or restorative treatment.
Teeth Whitening in San Antonio, TX
Store-bought whitening gels, strips, and toothpaste often do not provide lasting, visible results. Most whitening treatments may also offer inconsistent results. Increased sensitivity is also common with whitening strips, kits, and other products.
Our professional teeth whitening procedures can help you achieve better results than store-bought treatments. This is because we customize whitening to fit you.
Take-Home Whitening
To make your teeth whiter at home, we suggest using take-home teeth whitening kits. First, we’ll take molds of your teeth at our office to make a special tray just for you.
Once your custom tray is ready, you’ll come back to our office. We’ll give you whitening gel, trays, and instructions to use at home. These instructions will tell you how long to wear your trays each day for the best outcome. We’ll also suggest what to do based on how much your teeth are stained and how sensitive they are.
In-Office Whitening
Power bleaching uses higher concentrations of hydrogen peroxide than other treatments. During power bleaching, we apply whitening gel to the teeth. Then, we use a light to activate the ingredients in the gel.
We will not recommend power bleaching for patients who have tooth sensitivity. However, patients with strong tooth enamel and want immediate results can get power bleaching.
To keep your teeth bright after a whitening treatment, avoid coffee, tea, and other drinks that can discolor your teeth. Brush and floss twice a day to remove surface stains from your teeth. We can also provide touch-up treatments in our office 6 to 12 months after your initial treatment.
Is Teeth Whitening Treatment For Me?
Keep in mind that teeth whitening is not safe or effective for everyone. We recommend that patients receive a dental exam before any treatment. Dr. Abazid will only suggest the most relevant procedure for their smiles.
He will also discuss the expected treatment results. In most cases, we can brighten and whiten yellow and gray teeth. However, whitening may not work well on some stain colors.
We will not recommend whitening for patients with gum disease, receding gums, or sensitive teeth. Dr. Abazid may advise against specific treatments for patients with worn enamel. The tooth enamel is the outer layer of the tooth. When there is no enamel on an exposed tooth root, we cannot whiten the tooth root.
Before whitening treatment, we need to fill any cavities in the teeth. This will prevent sensitivity from the whitening gel reacting with decay or the tooth’s interior.
Alternatives to Teeth Whitening
We offer cosmetic and restorative dental treatments for patients with high tooth sensitivity or deep tooth stains. These treatments are also effective for patients who don’t want teeth whitening. Patients with stubborn tooth stains that don’t respond to whitening might need a different treatment.
Porcelain veneers are thin shells that we bond to the front of your teeth. Veneers can cover one or all teeth that show when you smile. Dental veneers are some of the best options for patients with tough tooth stains who want to brighten their teeth.
Patients with tooth damage and staining benefit from dental crowns, or caps that fully cover single teeth. We use porcelain crowns that we color-match to make teeth brighter. Color-matching makes sure the crowns look the same as your real teeth.
Brighten Your Smile
Erase years of tooth stains with teeth whitening services today. Call our dental office for a teeth whitening consultation in San Antonio at 210-939-9689. Feel free to schedule an appointment with Dr. Abazid on our website.
Our dental office serves patients in the Apple Creek, Alamo Farmsteads, Oak Hills, and Leon Valley communities.