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Just as people have different skin and hair color, people also have different tooth color. Some teeth are more yellow,
and others yellow with aging.
Natural tooth color can be discolored by a number of causes. The surface of the teeth
can be stained by tobacco, certain foods and beverages such as coffee, wine, tea and berries and by deposits of calculus,
or tartar.
Discoloration of the tooth internally can result from aging, injury, excessive fluoride, certain illnesses
and taking the antibiotic tetracycline during early childhood. Although bleaching successfully lightens most discolorations,
certain types (those caused by tetracycline) are more difficult to remove.
PROCEDURES:
With home-use bleaching, we will make an impression for a model of your teeth, fabricate a custom-fitted mouth guard
and prescribe a bleaching agent that comes in the form of a bleaching gel. The gel is placed in a mouth guard and worn for
at least two hours daily or at night for about two weeks. The amount of time the mouth guard is worn and the duration may
vary.
Some people with certain dental conditions may not be good candidates for this type of bleaching. People with gum recession,
for example, may have exposed root surfaces that are highly sensitive that could be further irritated by the ingredients of
whiteners.
Tooth-colored crowns, bonding or composite restorations don't bleach.
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