Teeth whitening in Springfield

Our office in Springfield offers two different ways for you to obtain a whiter smile in less than an hour, and a professional-strength take-home kit that can whiten your teeth several shades over a few days. Whether you want to turn back the clock or prepare your teeth for restorative dental work such as a crown or bridge, we have a whitening option sure to be right for you.

GLO^® Science Professional: Dramatic Results with No Sensitivity

GLO Science Professional is one of our in-office methods, a revolutionary dual-whitening system known for delivering fast results with no tooth sensitivity. GLO Science Professional can brighten teeth an average of five shades whiter after one half-hour session.

The treatment has two strengths of hydrogen peroxide whitening gel in 24% and 30%. We’ll help you choose the proper strength based on your age, the sensitivity in your teeth, the amount of tooth discoloration you have, and the desired result.

With GLO Science Professional, once the gel is applied to your teeth, you’ll bite into an innovative closed mouthpiece that focuses light on your teeth to activate and accelerate the whitening process. Unlike other methods that use light, this particular treatment is more comfortable, and the mouthpiece’s design ensures faster results that last longer.

Opalescence Boost: Whiten Your Teeth in a Day

Opalescence Boost Teeth Whitening is our other in-office treatment. This involves a chemically activated tooth-whitening gel to produce stunning results in less than an hour. The 40% hydrogen peroxide gel contains potassium nitrate and fluoride, two ingredients that research shows minimize sensitivity, reduce cavities, and harden natural tooth enamel.

Before getting started, we’ll assess the current condition of your teeth. You’ll wear special mouth guards to shield your lips and tongue from the gel during the treatment.

We’ll apply the whitening gel using a gentle brush, then remove it after 20 minutes. Just one 20-minute treatment might be all you need to brighten your teeth several shades. If your teeth aren’t as white as you’d like, or if they’re especially stubborn to whitening, we’ll apply the gel for another 20 minutes. Either way, you’ll walk out of our office with a much brighter smile that same day.

Opalescence Go^®: Impressive Teeth Whitening at Home

Our office in Springfield is also proud to carry Opalescence Go, a take-home product that produces impressive results within five to ten days. Available only from dentists, this professional-strength product of 10% or 15% hydrogen peroxide whitening gel is formulated with the same protective ingredients—potassium nitrate and fluoride—as Opalescence Boost in our office.

Opalescence Go is easy to use right out of the package. It contains enough disposable trays prefilled with whitening gel to last for ten days, so you won’t need to mix or measure ingredients. For each treatment session, you’ll center a tray over your upper or lower teeth and bite gently, then swallow to secure the gel against your teeth. Remove the colored outer tray to expose the comfortable inner tray during treatment. Then throw away the tray and brush your teeth once your treatment time is done.

Your treatment time depends on the concentration of hydrogen peroxide. You’ll wear the 10% concentration for 30 to 60 minutes a day or the 15% concentration for 15 to 20 minutes a day. The gel comes in two flavors, mint and melon, to ensure a pleasant taste.

Why Whiten Your Teeth?

So many factors affect the color of our teeth. Genetics, of course, plays a role, as does light. Our tooth color typically comes from light reflected off the outer enamel and the color of the softer inner dentin underneath. Aging and genetics can give some people thinner enamel, making the yellowish dentin more visible, but other factors also can dull and discolor your teeth.

For instance:

• The tar and nicotine in cigarettes and other tobacco products are notorious for staining teeth.
• Certain medical treatments and medications. Chemotherapy, radiation focused on the head and neck, antihistamines, antipsychotics, some antibiotics, and high blood pressure medicine are all known to darken teeth.
• Beverages such as tea, red wine, coffee, and cola. Because tooth enamel is porous, it’s vulnerable to food and drinks with intense pigments.
• Tooth decay or injury. If your tooth enamel is already thin, an injured tooth will appear more yellow because the body’s natural response to such injury is to produce more dentin.

In addition to restoring the brightness of your smile, tooth whitening is a good idea if you need dental work such as a crown, veneer, bridge, or dentures. Because these items resist staining, we recommend whitening your teeth first before obtaining them, if possible. That way, they’ll be color-matched to your whiter teeth and will blend in more naturally.

Call Today to Schedule a Teeth Whitening Appointment

If you’re ready to get started on a whiter smile, or if you have additional questions about teeth whitening, please call our office in Springfield for an appointment. We’re glad to serve you.