And your days merry and bright – after all, ‘tis the season of snowfall, those pristine, white flurries falling from the sky, lending an impeccable luster to the landscape enveloping us here in New England. Okay, to quote Bill O’Reilly, “the spin stops here.” Wintertime, for most of us, is beautiful for a white-hot second, but at the first signs of second-day stained snow, we’re over it.

Speaking of stains…how are you feeling about the look of your teeth these days? Are you sporting a toothy, pearly smile? Or does that stained snow put your grin to shame? Not sure? Read on to take our brief test and find out what you can do if you …fail to pass.

What Color Are Your Teeth?

Journey back in time with me for a moment…Remember this commercial, during which a Kindergarten teacher asks her students, “What color are my teeth?”

Lousy sound quality might have garbled their responses. But, choose from the following, as offered by the Kindergarten kiddos:

1. Beige
2. Off-white
3. Stucco
4. Mother-of-Pearl

If you selected any of those answers, you, my friend, are in dire need of teeth whitening. Fortunately, Crown Dental has got you covered. Here are two routes you can take to remediate your stained teeth and get that pristine sheen back in your smile.

Which Way to Whiten?

Teeth whitening is a non-invasive, restorative procedure that targets your tooth enamel with the aesthetic aim of removing stains and brightening your smile. In most cases, a patient might choose to whiten his or her teeth due to discolorations created by common culprits like coffee, tea, wine, and smoking.

But even if you abstain from these beverages and habits, the aging process on its own will compromise the appearance of your teeth (not to mention everything else. Head south for the winter, crow’s feet!) Even some medications, like tetracycline, a common antibiotic designed to combat bacteria and banish acne and other skin disorders, can discolor your teeth. No matter what the cause, more people than ever are opting to professionally whiten their teeth.

Does it Take a Professional to Whiten my Teeth?

From the blogger who just featured a Colgate commercial for tooth-whitening toothpaste, of course not. You don’t ever have to do anything when it comes to the aesthetics of your teeth (though unsightly smiles don’t exactly inspire a fan following). However, the crucial difference between the whitening products you can buy at the store, and those administered by a professional, like Dr. Chen, comes down to personal knowledge of your teeth and your dental history. In other words, only Dr. Chen can customize your teeth whitening experience, based on your own choppers. For example, whitening processes only work on natural teeth, so if you have crowns or single implants, Dr. Chen will approach the whitening process differently. Colgate doesn’t know you, so the efficacy of those products can only go so far.

Efficacy also depends on the types of stains you’re sporting. Enamel is stained either extrinsically or intrinsically. Meaning exterior, extrinsic stains exist only on the surface – the part of your teeth that you can easily see. However, the interior, or intrinsic, stains nestle into the hair-like cracks beneath those surfaces – a layer dubbed dentin. Although some drugstore-variety products might clean up the extrinsic stains, it does take professional whitening agents to address those unsightly intrinsic issues.

What is a Professional Whitening Agent?

Whitening agents that surpass the strength of their drugstore counterparts are made up of active ingredients like hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. What’s so great about this duo? Both of these agents are able to get inside your tooth enamel and access any stained molecules within your teeth and then sever the ties that bind them, courtesy of oxygen molecules. Those molecules then continue on their journeys, essentially bleaching your teeth in the process.

How Do I Whiten my Teeth at Crown Dental?

Glad you asked. At Crown Dental, there are two ways to whiten your teeth: in-house whitening, or at-home whitening. If you opt for in-house whitening, you can expect to see immediate results (though results do vary) and should plan to spend two hours in the chair while the whitening process is completed.

Another route is to consider the at-home alternative, in which Dr. Chen will evaluate your teeth and then send you home with custom trays and whitening gel syringes that you will use over a more prolonged period of time, based on her assessment of your oral health and aesthetic. (Basically, she uses the test featured above…kidding).

With Crown Dental, You’ve Got Options…

Between the customized care provided by Dr. Chen, backed by a brand believed in by she and her colleagues, when it comes to whitening your teeth, you’ll get the royal treatment at Crown Dental. Call the office at #603-521-7739, and speak with Karen, who will set up your teeth whitening consult with Dr. Chen. At Crown Dental, we wish you days that are merry and bright…with a smile to match.

Happy Holidays from our team to your teeth!