How to Keep Your Smile Bright After Teeth Whitening

What would you do if someone told you there was a simple, safe, proven treatment that takes just an hour to complete, but that could potentially help you feel more attractive and more confident for the rest of the year? You’d certainly want to hear more, wouldn’t you? Well, with professional teeth whitening at Bucktown Wicker Park Dental, you can get those results in a single office visit, with a state-of-the-art whitening treatment that offers dramatic results in just about an hour.

Melissa Daza, DDS uses the Zoom professional teeth whitening system to help patients enjoy a smile that’s up to eight shades whiter in just a single, one-hour treatment. Zoom® is one of the most popular and most used professional whitening systems, helping millions of patients enjoy more beautiful, healthier-looking teeth. Here’s how it can help you get a great-looking smile.

What’s behind those dingy stains

Your teeth are exposed to lots of foods and beverages throughout the year, and a lot of those products can cause staining. Some drinks like coffee and tea are familiar culprits, causing teeth to look brownish, dull and stained, especially if you’re a frequent drinker. But other drinks like red wine, fruit drinks and punches, and even sports drinks can also lead to staining. What’s more, even healthy drinks like orange juice and grapefruit juice can increase your risk for staining because they temporarily soften the hard enamel coating on your teeth, making it easier for staining pigments to penetrate teeth for as long as an hour afterward.

Tomato products, foods that use natural and artificial colorings, foods high in acids and foods containing deeply pigmented spices like turmeric can also cause stains, and cigarettes and other tobacco products are also big culprits. Plus, your age, certain medications and even your genes can make your teeth more prone to stains over time. When you start combining all these different factors, it’s pretty easy to see how your smile can start to look dingy, even if your brush and floss regularly.

The Zoom treatment

At Bucktown Wicker Park Dental, your treatment starts with a quick fitting for the whitening trays. These special trays are designed to hold the whitening solution close to your teeth's surfaces so the agents can go to work deep below the enamel, lifting away years of stains and revealing more beautiful, healthier-looking teeth. Once the trays are fitted, Dr. Daza will apply a special gel to your gums to protect them against irritation that can cause sensitivity during the treatment.

Next, the trays will be filled with the whitening solution, then placed over your teeth. Dr. Daza will position a bright light over your teeth to help activate the whitening agents and enable them to penetrate more deeply. During your treatment, the trays will be refilled several times to ensure you get the best and most consistent results. Once whitening is complete, Dr. Daza will apply a special post-treatment gel to protect your enamel and reduce any residual sensitivity. Then, you'll be free to go out and enjoy the rest of your day, flashing your new, brighter, whiter smile.

Keeping your smile pearly white

You can expect your results to last for about 12 to 18 months, and you can keep your teeth looking their best even longer with take-home whitening kits for touch-up treatments between your in-office whitening treatments. Or, you can use the take-home kits on their own for whitening in about two weeks.

You can also help maintain your results by avoiding foods and drinks that stain your teeth and by avoiding all types of tobacco products. If you must indulge in foods and drinks that have deep pigments, try to rinse immediately afterward to wash away the pigments and prevent them from penetrating your enamel. Avoid brushing right after eating since eating and drinking can make your enamel soft for 30 minutes or so, and brushing during that time can wind up damaging your enamel and make staining more likely.

One visit is all it takes for a year of beautiful smiles

At Bucktown Wicker Park Dental, we understand the importance of a great-looking smile. With the Zoom whitening system, you're just one visit away from a more beautiful, healthier-looking smile that can last for the rest of the year — and beyond. To learn more about the Zoom whitening system and how it can help you get a whiter, brighter smile, book an appointment online today.