Everyone wants a bright, beautiful smile. Depending on what you read or hear, you may know of dozens of ways to try to achieve just that. There are all kinds of tips and tricks for teeth whitening. There are also over-the-counter products that you can use to whiten your teeth at home. How can you decide which product is right for you? How can you be sure that you’re not going to be disappointed and annoyed at the end of the process? You want to be sure that teeth whitening is worth the effort and the cost before you start. Your dentist is here to help.

Home Remedies and Over-the-Counter Products Offer Limited Results

You may have heard about home remedies or special tricks you can use to whiten your teeth. Results from these remedies are often only anecdotal or temporary. You may have heard of people using charcoal toothpaste to whiten their teeth. This may produce results, but the charcoal is merely an abrasive that scrapes away layers of dental enamel to reveal a whiter color. Over-the-counter methods, like whitening strips, can brighten your smile, but the effects may not last as long as you’d like. You may not see any effects at all. If you want to find whitening that’s worth it, trust your dentist.

Your Dentist Provides Professional Teeth Whitening That’s Worth It

There are teeth whitening products that typically offer the results that you’re after. Whitening works by bleaching your enamel to remove the staining that builds up over time. Your dentist has access to whitening treatments that frequently produce results well above over-the-counter products. Many of these whitening options are also take-home kits. That means that you can whiten your teeth on your time. Your dentist will give you whitening trays and bleach gel that you can administer for a couple hours in the evening. In just a few weeks, you can expect significant cosmetic improvement.

If Teeth Whitening Won’t Work, Your Dentist Has Other Options

There are some stubborn stains that won’t be removed by whitening. Staining that happens below the surface of your dental enamel can be caused by a medical condition, or can be a side effect of infection. Once your dentist has removed the infection from your tooth, and the staining persists, your dentist can provide alternatives to whitening. Cosmetic treatments, like porcelain veneers, can actually cover up staining that whitening can’t bleach. Veneers can be placed during just one visit to your dentist.

Visit Cedar Dental for a Teeth Whitening Consultation

If you want teeth whitening that’s worth it, talk to your dentist. The team at Coppertop Family Dentistry has a variety of cosmetic options to give you the smile that you’ve always wanted. Schedule your consultation today by contacting Cedar Dental in Cedar Rapids, IA at 319-364-7108.