Your Canmore Invisalign® Provider
At Canmore Dental Centre, our dentists offer both in-office and take-home teeth whitening options to help our patients brighten their smiles.
What is Professional Teeth Whitening?
Professional teeth whitening is a safe and effective way to remove stains and lighten the colour your teeth.
With age, teeth become more vulnerable to staining from food and other substances. Particles are naturally attracted to a tooth's enamel, and products like coffee, tea, berries and tobacco are notorious for staining teeth.
The bleaching agents used during the teeth whitening treatment process are designed to reverse these effects of aging and staining, lightening the colour of your teeth.
How Teeth Whitening Works
Teeth whitening uses bleaching agents that are peroxide-based. Oxygen acts on the tooth enamel as the active ingredient breaks down, creating the whitening effect.
In-Office Teeth Whitening
Our in-office teeth whitening at Canmore Dental Centre takes approximately two hours to complete. We begin by applying a barrier around your gums to protect them, then a thin layer of gel is applied and chemically activated on each tooth. This process is repeated a number of times, until the desired shade of white is achieved.
Take-Home Teeth Whitening
For your convenience, we also offer at-home whitening options so that you can whiten your teeth in the comfort of your home. At -home whitening is a two step process. First we will make impressions of your teeth to fabricate custom whitening trays for you. Second, you will return to our office to pickup your trays along with the whitening solution and detailed instructions on how to use the at-home treatment.
Teeth Whitening FAQs
Read the answers to our most frequently asked questions about teeth whitening at Canmore Dental Centre.
- How long do the effects of teeth whitening last?
Teeth whitening isn't a permanent solution to whiten your smile.
If you continue to expose your teeth to foods and drinks that cause staining, you will likely begin to see the whiteness fade after a few months.
If you avoid these foods and drinks after your teeth whitening treatment, you may just need a touch up after a year or so.
- Does teeth whitening make teeth more sensitive?
Sensitivity is a short-term side effect to teeth whitening. For most patients it fades away within a few days after a whitening session.
To minimize any discomfort, we recommend that you use an anti-sensitivity toothpaste prior to treatment and for at least two weeks following your treatment.
- Do teeth whitening products work on all stains?
Yellow and brown-coloured stains respond the best to teeth whitening treatments.
Grey, blue and purple-coloured stains tend not to respond to whitening at all. For teeth with these types of stains, patients may be better candidates for cosmetic treatments such as veneers or dental crowns.
- Does teeth whitening work on dental restorations?
No, teeth whitening only works on natural teeth. It does not work on existing dental restorations such as veneers or dental crowns.
If veneers or crowns are part of your treatment plan, teeth whitening should take place before you receive your dental restorations.
- Will teeth whitening damage my tooth enamel?
If used under the supervision of a qualified dentist, it is very unlikely that teeth whitening will damage your dental enamel.
Always consult with your dentist to ensure that you are using any teeth whitening products safely.
- Does insurance cover the cost of teeth whitening?
Dental insurance does not usually cover the cost of teeth whitening because it is a purely cosmetic procedure with no health benefits for your teeth.
Zoom!® In-Office Whitening System
At Canmore Dental Centre, we use the safe, effective and fast tooth whitening system, Zoom! This system uses LED technology to help minimize post-treatment tooth sensitivity while giving brilliant results.
Before beginning Zoom! treatment, Dr. Maier will complete a thorough exam of your teeth and gums to ensure that your smile is healthy enough to handle the Zoom! bleaching process.
How Zoom! Works
If Dr. Maier determines that Zoom! is an appropriate whitening treatment for you, they will apply the Zoom! whitening gel, containing the specifically formulated, pH balanced hydrogen peroxide, to your teeth.
During the activation phase, the hydrogen peroxide in the gel adheres to stained molecules on the teeth, weakening them. This process allows oxygen to enter the tooth enamel and lighten them.