Straight from the Desk of Dr. Mirzayan and Dr. Lee
Q : What are the different types of whitening products you use in your office?
A : Teeth whitening is the most popular procedure among patients and it is something we are always doing at the office. Simply speaking, bleaching results largely depends on the concentration of the whitening agent. The little whitening strips which you get from your local drugstore take a long time to work since the concentration is extremely weak. A level up from these little strips are bleaching trays which a dentist can make for you.
For bleaching trays, we take a mold of your teeth and then fabricate these trays. After this, you have to place bleaching gel within the tray. You place this over your teeth and wear them for a specific period of time. This might range from half an hour to an hour and a half, on a daily basis. You can then usually see a profound difference within seven to ten days.
The next level is in-office bleaching. Zoom and BriteSmile are the most popular procedures. The bleaching concentrations are of a higher grade than what you get over the counter. We apply the bleaching agent onto the teeth while you sit in our chair. A light shines on your teeth to help activate the whitening agents. While you watch a movie, the whitening process begins. And in one hour, your teeth are much whiter than when you walked in! The main difference between bleaching trays and in-office bleaching is that in-office bleaching is more convenient. The results that you would get with 14 days of bleaching trays can be achieved within an hour of in-office bleaching. It is a little more expensive but you do get the benefit of getting whiter teeth faster.
After an in-office bleaching procedure, if you want even whiter teeth, we recommend that patients use trays at home, as well. Wearing these trays for an hour or two for three to four weeks can improve the results and help to maintain your new smile.
However, patients need to understand that bleaching is just like getting a haircut – you will eventually need to "touch up". Based on your eating habits, you might need to bleach more frequently. This applies especially to people who may drink a lot of coffee, red wine, or eat pasta sauce or other staining foods. Bleaching is not a permanent solution and it might have to be performed once a year or once in two years.
A person with very discolored teeth may not always be satisfied with his whitening results. Not all teeth can be whitened to the Hollywood white color. Some teeth are internally dark, which can be harder to bleach. Sometimes, one can opt for veneers to hide discolorations in these cases.
Q : Walk me through an in-office teeth whitening procedure.
A : We start by screening the mouth to ensure that the patient has no other crowns or fillings in the front teeth. If a patient has a crown on the front tooth and if the other teeth are bleached, the other teeth will become whiter but the crown will stay the same color – many people are surprised to hear this. This leaves the crown looking quite ugly after the other teeth are bleached. Therefore, many people opt to replace the crown because they don’t like its dark appearance.
Once you are properly screened, we prepare you for the whitening process. First the teeth are isolated and the lips and gums are well covered. This helps ensure that no bleaching agents fall on the gum tissue or lips, thus preventing any damage. The whitening gel is placed on the front of each tooth and the light is positioned properly. The light in then turned on and the patient sits comfortably there for about an hour. Throughout the process, the patient can watch a movie; listen to music, or sleep!
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Dr. Mirzayan and staff, Thank you very much for all your help and concern. 
