Whitening and Bleaching

When staining agents such as coffee, wine or acidic foods are able to penetrate the enamel of the teeth, it can be difficult to return to the original teeth shade through brushing and flossing alone. Patients in the Fairfield, CT area with brown or yellow teeth are now utilizing tooth bleaching with Dr. Keith Rudolph. His Family, Cosmetic and Reconstructive Dentistry offers the most advanced tray whitening systems available to help brighten patient’s teeth quickly and effectively. Unlike over the counter whitening products that are messy and tend to slide off teeth, professional whitening provided by Dr. Rudolph whitens teeth 4-8 shades in just a couple of steps.

During the first visit, Dr. Rudolph will need to determine if the teeth are intrinsically or extrinsically stained. Extrinsic stains are on the surface, having barely penetrated the enamel. These stains are caused things like coffee, smoking and even aging, they are, however, reversible through bleaching.  On the other hand, intrinsic stains develop from the inside of the teeth and are often caused by more permanent staining agents such as antibiotics. The teeth are darkened as a result of bacteria buildup and cannot be reversed by whitening alone. Once it is determined what type of staining your teeth has, Dr. Rudolph and his staff will explain the whitening process and how it will affect your type of staining.

Patients can be fitted with custom-made mouth guards that are used during the whitening process.  Tray whitening is performed by applying a high concentration of oxidizing agent to the teeth with custom-fitted thin plastic trays for a short period of time, which produces quick results in most cases. The application trays ideally should be well-fitted to retain the bleaching gel, ensuring even and full tooth exposure to the gel. Trays will typically stay on the teeth anywhere from 45 minutes to overnight depending on your staining and sensitivity.

To learn more about custom tray whitening visit www.drkeithrudolph.com or call 203-930-1214 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Keith Rudolph at his Fairfield, CT Family, Cosmetic and Reconstructive Dentistry.