Matching Your Smile With Your White Christmas Wishes
The holiday season is all about spending time with loved ones, sharing great food, and fully immersing yourself in the warm spirit that surrounds our communities this time of the year. As you prepare for upcoming family get-togethers and all of the holiday pictures that will be taken, you might also be wondering if your smile could do with a little pre-holiday makeover.
Whitening your smile before the holiday season is a great way to boost your self-confidence and treat yourself to some self-care.
Here’s how you can get white teeth for Christmas!
At-Home Teeth Whitening
Whenever you stock up on toothpaste and mouthwash you probably see a shelf of at-home whitening products at your local store. Some of these are gels, but the most popular are whitening strips. In fact, you may have even tried these whitening strips before!
At-home teeth whitening strips can be effective and some brands do have the ADA Seal of Approval. This Seal means the product is deemed safe for your oral health if your teeth are healthy and you strictly follow product instructions. However, at-home whitening can be problematic.
First, if you have tooth sensitivity or a cavity, using an at-home product over these trouble spots can be painful and cause further damage to tooth enamel. Overuse of whitening strips can also cause prolonged tooth and gum sensitivity, even if you’ve never experienced it before.
Second, at-home teeth whitening products often require repeated use over a period of a few weeks. This can be annoying, but even worse, you might spend all of that time just to find that your “white” teeth are nowhere near as bright as you want them to be. That’s because these formulations used aren’t super effective for deep stains and discoloration.
Whitening strips do have their place, but for a safe experience with incredible results, we recommend skipping the store-bought options and going with professional teeth whitening.
Professional Teeth Whitening
When it comes to safety and results, you can’t beat the experience of professional teeth whitening. If you’ve never whitened your teeth before or you’ve only experimented with store-bought options, you’re in for a real treat!
There are two options for professional teeth whitening: at-home professional whitening and in-office whitening. Keep in mind that when referencing at-home professional whitening, we’re talking about an at-home kit provided by your dentist, not a store-bought kit.
When most people receive professional teeth whitening it’s generally done as an in-office procedure at their dentist. Allred Family Dentistry offers Opalescence™, a trusted teeth whitening system that protects oral health and tooth enamel while also delivering incredible results in just one hour. This process uses a special gel coupled with light therapy to yield super-bright results in a single visit.
But what if you don’t have time for an hour-long appointment right now? You can instead use the Opalescence™ At-Home Kit that utilizes the same prescription-strength whitening gel and conventional teeth trays. You’ll see a change after just one use, but maximum results are seen after one week of use following your dentist’s guidelines.
Porcelain Veneers for Permanently White Teeth
Let’s say you’ve tried professional whitening before but you weren’t happy with the results. Or maybe your dentist has discovered that some of your teeth are actually permanently discolored rather than simply stained. In this case, porcelain veneers may be the best alternative for a stunning white smile — permanently.
Porcelain veneers are a popular cosmetic dentistry procedure that involves placing thin shells of porcelain over the teeth that are to be treated. They completely cover the underlying teeth, allowing you and your dentist to customize just how bright you want your smile, based on what you deem to be most attractive.
Porcelain veneers are a permanent decision, meaning that the veneers themselves can be replaced, but you’ll always need to have veneers in place. However, they are a wonderful investment for anyone with stubborn, stained teeth.
Book your whitening session at Allred Family Dentistry.
Allred Family Dentistry is your family’s destination for bright, healthy smiles before, during, and after the holidays. Whether you want to brighten your smile, learn more about porcelain veneers, or book a checkup, our team is ready and waiting.
You can schedule your appointment by calling your preferred location or using this online form.