Judging from some of the commercials we see on television, the whiter your teeth, the better your chance of being popular and having a whole lot of fun.
However, most tooth pastes, powders and drug store whiteners can only do so much, especially if your teeth have gone from off-white, to yellow and, finally, to deeply stained. We all know the usual culprits blamed for tooth discoloration, including coffee, tea, colas, tobacco products, wine, acidic fruit drinks and even certain fruits and vegetables.
Oral health experts also remind us that we can blame advancing age, disease, some medications and our inescapable genes. Oh, yes, and we mustn’t forget the most obvious culprit — ourselves and poor oral hygiene.
It leads us to wonder how the teeth of our ancestors looked before tooth brushes became common utensils in every home and we had hundreds of brands of tooth pastes from which to choose. The first commercial tooth paste in a jar was invented in the latter 19th Century and, when the dawn of the 20th Century was almost upon us, somewhere in the 1890’s, Colgate claims credit as the first to mass produced tooth paste in tubes.
Obviously, our founding fathers and mothers, as well the generations who preceded them, were more concerned about keeping their teeth from falling out and perhaps clean enough not to drive away the opposite sex. Shades of white were apparently not a major concern.
But that was then and this is now. It’s now all about whiteness— shining, gleaming, sparkling enamel. We’ve taken it further with a tooth bleaching system called Zoom!
Zoom! III Whitening Lamp
Our Zoom! III Whitening Lamp uses light and a special gel to gently break apart stains to give you a smile that will sparkle for years.
Zoom QuickPro
And how about the Zoom QuickPro in-house bleaching system?
It’ll give you whiter teeth in 20 minutes and you can take advantage of our ongoing special for $99.
The complete Zoom whitening session consumes less than an hour from preparation to finish. It is recommended that the teeth be cleaned to start with to make sure the whitening achieves optimal effect. Before getting to the actual whitening, the patient’s lips and gums will be covered, with the teeth being the only part of your mouth exposed. We then apply the Zoom whitening gel and then shine the whitening light on the teeth, with the light working in conjunction with the gel to dissipate discoloration and stains. The hydrogen peroxide in the gel is light activated, and that’s what makes the Zoom system so effective.
For an investment of a matter of minutes of your time, the whitening lasts for years and those stains may never come back. Of course, good dental hygiene will increase the effectiveness of the whitening process. Excessive consumption of staining agents like coffee and cola drinks will diminish the whiteness and gleam over time.
At Leone & Wenning Cosmetic and General Dentistry we’re here to make sure the procedure in done correctly and safely. Is everyone a candidate for this kind of teeth whitening procedure? Here’s what the American Dental Association has to say: “Your dentist can tell you whether whitening procedures would be effective for you. Whiteners may not correct all types of discoloration.”
For the record, whitening is effective and safe for most people, and that is why it has become such a popular dental procedure.
