Teeth Whitening in Charlotte, NC
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Part of maintaining a beautiful smile is ensuring that your teeth remain brilliantly white. While regular brushing and flossing will help keep your teeth healthy, good oral hygiene alone may not be enough to whiten them. That’s why Dr. Carli Warden and the professionals at Luminous Dental provide teeth whitening services for the patients of Charlotte, NC.
What is Teeth Whitening?
As people eat, drink, or smoke, their teeth become stained. These stains mainly occur with food and drinks such as coffee, red wine, dark soda, and sugary snacks. While brushing and flossing can eliminate physical food particles and bacteria that lead to cavities and gingivitis, removing the thin film of residue left on your enamel is not always easy. Over time, as these stains build up, it becomes more and more challenging to clean them away by brushing alone. Cosmetic teeth whitening is an excellent dental treatment for patients who don’t have any significant oral health issues and want a brighter smile.
There are two methods for whitening teeth:
- Professional tooth whitening: This method is performed using professional-grade tools and techniques at a dentist’s office. It is often done using a bleaching solution containing 15% to 43% peroxide and an apparatus that applies light, heat, or both to speed up the process.
- Over-the-counter tooth whitening: You can whiten your teeth at home using a special toothpaste or whitening tray that you wear over your teeth. These trays contain a similar bleaching solution to what would be used by a professional. However, at-home solutions contain only 3% to 20% peroxide and are less potent than professional solutions.
KöR Whitening at Luminous Dental
While traditional tooth whitening methods work for many people, some patients need a more effective way that presents little to no tooth sensitivity issues and lasts longer. That’s why Luminous Dental offers the KöR whitening system. The system consists of a highly potent refrigerated gel and an innovative application method to deliver some of the most effective tooth whitening.
The KöR whitening gel penetrates deep into the tooth to dissolve stain molecules and restore your teeth’s ability to absorb oxygen. The KöR whitening gel is kept refrigerated from the start of the manufacturing process to the application. Keeping the gel cold prevents the breakdown of the unstable chemical processes inherent in any whitening solution. Preserving these chemicals allows the gel to remain potent enough to produce up to six hours of active whitening instead of the 25 to 30 minutes typical of other whitening solutions.
How long does KöR Whitening last?
With traditional whitening methods, the amount of time that your teeth remain white depends on whether you use professional whitening or at-home whitening. While professional teeth whitening tends to last longer than at-home options, both methods last several weeks to several months before you have to undergo the treatment again. However, with proper maintenance and careful diet monitoring, KöR whitening is permanent.
Is KöR whitening painful?
One of the primary concerns with most teeth whitening methods is tooth sensitivity. Bleaching solutions can weaken the natural smear plugs in teeth that prevent fluids from coming into contact with the nerves at the periphery of the tooth pulp. This contact causes painful sensations known as dentinal hypersensitivity.
With KöR whitening, a desensitizing gel is applied to the teeth beforehand. This desensitizer helps plug the orifices of the dentinal tubules that lead to the pulp, preventing sensitivity altogether rather than simply treating it once it occurs. Because of this, patients experience little to no discomfort from the KöR system. In addition, any reports of sensitivity indicated that the patient only experienced 10% of the sensitivity they would’ve customarily felt from traditional whitening methods.
Teeth Whitening Cost
At-home whitening products are relatively inexpensive, particularly toothpaste and mouthwash. These products cost anywhere from $25 to $100 for various products. Meanwhile, the cost of professional teeth whitening treatments, including the KöR system, varies depending on how extensive the procedure will be. It typically starts at $550 and can potentially cost upwards of $1,000. Because whitening procedures are considered cosmetic dentistry, most insurance plans don’t cover them.
Teeth Whitening Procedure with KöR
The KöR system is composed of four different levels of teeth whitening systems to deliver results in a variety of situations. KöR Max, KöR Ultra, and KöR Ultra-T are all in-office methods intended to be combined with at-home maintenance. KöR Home is an at-home system designed to be used day or night.
For each procedure, the dentist will make molds of your teeth to fabricate the KöR-Seal™ Whitening Trays. Then, you and your dentist will work together to select the appropriate system for your needs. You will typically wear your KöR-Seal Trays at home for two weeks while you sleep, though there is a system for daytime use. You may also undergo one or two in-office whitening visits, depending on your system.
The KöR-Seal Trays are specially fabricated to completely seal the whitening gel while keeping saliva out, so it doesn’t interfere with the whitening process. In addition, because they are thin and explicitly created from an exact mold of your teeth, the KöR-Seal Trays are comfortable to wear during the day and at night while you sleep.
Teeth Whitening Dentist in Charlotte, NC
The team at Luminous Dental does everything possible to ensure that your visit is as comfortable as possible. For Dr. Carli Warden, patient care is the number one priority. We dedicate ourselves to providing personalized care to everyone who steps through our door.
So, if you want to achieve a brighter, whiter smile, and experience the Luminous difference for yourself, contact our Charlotte, NC dental office about teeth whitening today!