QuickFix Summary: There are several ways to get a whiter, brighter smile. At SugarFix Dental in Chicago, we offer both GLO and KOR Whitening.
Whiter and brighter teeth never seem to go out of style, and with everything opening up, it seems like everyone is ready to bring their best smile forward! Are those work-from-home latte stains bothering you? Or maybe that ZOOM meeting smile you see isn’t looking its best, here at Sugar Fix we have a variety of whitening options to bring those teeth back up to nice light shade!
Are your teeth yellowish from drinking coffee and tea?
These 2 one-stop professional in-office dental whitening offer dramatic results in a single office visit. If you are looking to have a whiter smile in less than 2 hours, Zoom® in-office whitening and GLO whitening are a great solution! Here’s how it works:
- At the beginning of your whitening appointment, we will take photos of your teeth before your whitening. Doing so helps show you firsthand how much you whitened at the end of your appointment!
- We will then polish your teeth with polishing paste and isolate your gum tissue with a light curable gel to prevent discomfort and irritation from contact with the whitening gel.
- Next, we’ll carefully apply the Zoom® whitening gel over your teeth.
- We will activate the gel with a special light that is directed at your teeth for more rapid absorption of the gel.
- After 15 minutes, we’ll remove the gel and light from your teeth.
- This process will be repeated two more times. This entire process takes an hour or less, and patients are free to leave as soon as the third session is over!
- If you are interested at the end, we will take impressions of your teeth for custom whitening trays for your teeth.
The pros of ZOOM whitening is a much noticeable whiter smile. You can see the shade of your teeth go up about 4-5 shades lighter. Although the sensitivity or “zingers” can be a nuisance for about 24 hours.Sugar Fix we have a variety of whitening options to bring those teeth back up to nice light shade!
At Sugar Fix, we offer GLO in-office whitening
The process is about the same as ZOOM, but without the big light in front of you! You can move freely as the light we use is an USB chargeable necklace and the mouthpiece you can bite into. You can experience your tooth shade go up about 2 shades lighter but without the “zingers”. The GLO in-office whitening light uses less heat which results in less sensitivity!
Do your teeth have a gray undertone or do you have tetracycline stains?
Back in the day, an antibiotic called Tetracycline was used to treat a number of issues. Though it isn’t used very often anymore due to the side effects… one of which is severe gray or brown staining of the teeth (not very cosmetic).
Tetracycline staining is developed on a child’s permanent teeth while the teeth are still underneath the gums. So, often this side effect isn’t apparent until way later! The dark stains caused by Tetracycline can cover the entire surface of the tooth, or they may show up as stripes. Tetracycline staining is actually embedded inside the tooth’s enamel (intrinsic stains) which makes it much more difficult to reverse. But with this new whitening process called KOR works wonders for these stubborn stains! Here’s how it works:
- We will first take a look at your shade to be sure you qualify for KOR Ultra-T Deep Whitening.
- We then will take impressions of your upper and lower teeth and fabricate your custom whitening trays for KOR.
- When your whitening trays are ready, we will have you come in for an appointment and start your “pre-conditioning” phase. This phase uses a combination of gel syringes that we put into your trays and sit with for about 20 minutes each session. This process opens up the pores of your enamel to take in whitening.
- After you have finished your pre-conditioning phase, we will show you how to use your whitening trays at home, and you will then start your whitening process.
- Your whitening process will include 6-8 weeks of NIGHT whitening gel and desensitizer. You will then start whitening at home.
- After your 6-8 weeks of whitening, we will then bring you in for another in-office procedure to seal in your final shade. The process is a long road, but the results are worth it!
While KOR is great for reversing tetracycline stains, it excels at so much more! You can definitely use KOR whitening for at-home use even if you do not have those stains. At Sugar Fix, we like to call KOR whitening the crème de la crème of whitening.
If you want your smile to be movie star white, then KOR whitening trays and gel are the perfect fit for you!
If in-office whitening or at-home whitening isn’t your thing, there are a number of toothpastes that can help keep a nice light shade up for you at home. One of our personal favorite whitening toothpastes is the Crest 3D White, Glamorous White whitening toothpaste. Not only does it whiten all surfaces of the teeth, but it also helps fight against cavities!
At Sugar Fix, we love cosmetic dentistry, and that can mean anything from Invisalign, to veneers, and also teeth whitening!
Whether you are getting your teeth professionally whitened by our office or you are whitening them with an at-home whitening kit, it’s important to understand that whitening your teeth will be a process. Keeping the nice light shade can take little tweaks in your lifestyle, such as drinking your coffees and teas through a straw. Although it would be wonderful to simply wave our wand and all of a sudden have whiter and brighter teeth, the process can sometimes take an office visit or weeks depending on the shade of your teeth. Come visit us at Sugar Fix in Chicago and we will find the whitening process that will best fit you and your lifestyle.