Teeth Whitening

Teeth whitening (bleaching) is a procedure that whitens the teeth using a bleaching solution. Teeth darken for a veriety of reasons: coffee and tea consumption, smoking, antibiotic use, excessive fluoride, or simply age. Bleaching is successful in at least 90% of patients, lasting up to five years, though it may not be an option for everyone. The gray stains caused by fluoride or antibiotic (tetracycline) use are harder to treat and sometimes dental veneers are the better solution. The "at-home" technique involves use of a custom-made mouthguard into which the bleaching agent is placed. The duration and frequency of treatment varies.