Dr. Gregory J. Tarantola is a dentist and has answered some of the common questions Bizymoms visitors have about Tooth Whitening.
Q. What is tooth whitening?
A. Tooth whitening is a process that uses various forms of peroxide to whiten the teeth and brighten and beautify the smile.
Q. Who may benefit from teeth whitening?
A. There are many indications. Some patients have a naturally dark shade to their teeth, simply due to genetics. Teeth also darken with time and age due to internal changes in the tooth as well as external, surface changes due to coffee, wine, foods etc. So anyone who desires a more beautiful smile is a candidate.
Q. Who are not recommended to undergo teeth whitening?
A. The teeth and gums needs to be healthy first. Darkening and discoloration may be due to dental disease, cavities or periodontal/gum disease. These need to be addressed first if present. If one has gum recession and exposed root surfaces, we need to carefully assess if that patient is a candidate for whitening.
Q. What does tooth whitening involve?
A. There are several processes that can be used. The right one depends on the diagnosis and the desires of the patient. Let me say that there is no such thing as an in-office, one-time whitening process. It takes several treatments to get the desired result, either a combination of in-office and at-home or entirely at-home. If the discoloration is slight and the patient only desires a moderate degree of whiteness, over-the-counter systems can do just fine. If the discoloration is a little more severe, or if the over-the-counter product has not worked successfully, we use a product called Tres-white which is a pre-made tray system that provides a greater degree of whitening. If the diagnosis shows a more resistant type of discoloration, we will make custom trays and use a stronger whitening system. If the discoloration is really severe such as tetracycline stains, or a dark yellowish-brown and the patient desires a high degree of whiteness, we use a system that combines 2 in-office treatments with 14 at-home treatments.
Q. How long does this take?
A. It can take anywhere from 3-4 treatments to up to 14 treatments. As I mentioned earlier, an in-office, one treatment application simply will not work to get the desired, lasting results, it always requires some at home treatments.
Q. How much does tooth whitening cost?
A. It can be anywhere from $30-40 for over-the counter treatments, $ 75 for the Tres-White system, $ 295 for custom, at-home trays, $1200 for the ultimate in-office/at-home combination treatment.
Q. What are the side effects?
A. Whitening has been utilized long enough in dentistry and been researched well enough to show that the side effects, if any, are minimal. Transient tooth sensitivity is the most common side effect as well as transient gum soreness. There are no bad effects to the structure of the teeth.
Q. How to contact Dr. Tarantola if we have further questions?
A.
Address:
4131 University Blvd. Bldg. 10
Jacksonville, FL 32216
Phone: 904-737-5511
Email: gtarantola@gtarantoladds.com
Website: www.StraightAndWhiteTeeth.com,
www.TarantolaDentalLearning.com
