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Zoom Teeth Whitening Procedures
Teeth Whitening is most certainly one of the most popular cosmetic procedures that patients and non-patients are interested in. Popular television programming, including the near famous ABC-TV Extreme Makeovers show, have made near household words out of many whitening technologies used by dentists.
Popular Smile Brightening Technologies
Zoom!, BriteSmile, NiteWhite, Discus Dental and now Crest have gained nationwide apppeal. Many patients have unfortunately discovered however... that different products and technologies can produce very different results from one patient to the next.
All of the popular products are very effective .... relative to the whitening need. What many consumers don't understand is how each product differs and why it can be critical to match the appropriate whitening product with the condition of the patient's oral health and current dentition.
Safe Healthy Whitening
Dr. Marinic has used and evaluated just about every popular whitening technology on the market. Understanding the relationships between whitening chemistry and the various causes of "whitening need" of each and every one of our patients, Dr. Marinic carefully recommends the whitening method that produces the desired cosmetic result that is the safest and minimizes or eliminates the teeth sensitivity issue.
Understanding Teeth Stains
First of all ... there are two types of staining. The first is staining on the surface of the tooth (external staining). The second type of stain is inside the tooth (internal stains).
Because these stains are caused by different factors and events.. they are removed differently.
External stains are removed when you brush your teeth. If they are not removed on a regular basis, they will require a professional cleaning. The plaque becomes hardened and is called tartar. It is impossible for patients to remove this by themselves. Any attempt to lighten dirty teeth is a waste of effort and expense. It just doesn't work.
Internal stains can come from foods such as coffee, blueberries, and red wine, or antibiotics, smoking, genetics, and excessive fluoride. Most of the staining that occurs from foods can be readily removed. Those stains from antibiotics, fluoride, and genetics, however, are more challenging.
Many conditions of discolored tooth enamel can occur during development of the teeth. Systemic substances such as antibiotics (tetracycline) are incorporated into hard tissue when it forms. These stains are virtually impossible to remove via whitening.
Teeth Whitening versus Teeth Bleaching
The term "bleaching" is a misnomer. All of the popular teeth whitening products and technologies are oxidizing agents that remove the organic material creating the intrinsic stain. Light or laser activated gels (as with BriteSmile and Zoom), gels or liquid whitening agents used in custom whitening trays and even the over-the-counter products (Crest White Strips) use oxidizing agents in varying strengths.
The strongest concentration of oxidizing agents are available only through a dentist, to assure safe and secure use of the technology. The stronger the oxidizing effect... the greater the risk of causing tooth and gum sensitivity problems.
Sensible Effective Whitening Treatments
University based double-blind studies have determined that no differences were found between home-based whitening products and the whitening services/products applied in a dentist's office (light activation accelerates the whitening process).
Dr. Marinic assesses the cause of a patient's tooth stains (internal-external) and typically recommends a variety of teeth whitening solutions that are sensible, effective, avoid unneccesary cost and promote optimal oral health. The risk of selecting an innapropriate whitening technology is eliminated.
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