What is teeth whitening?
Whitening lightens the natural shade of your tooth with a peroxide gel that passes through the enamel and breaks down pigments built up in the dentin. It does not grind the tooth down or add anything on top: it changes the tone of the structure you already have.
It is the most conservative cosmetic procedure there is. That is why, within Smile Design, it is almost always the first step: if color solves the case, nothing else needs to touch the tooth.
In-office or at home
- In-office: higher-concentration gel applied by the specialist with gum protection. Visible result in the same session.
- At home with custom trays: lower-concentration gel over several days. More gradual, and usually less sensitivity.
- Combined: started in the office and maintained at home. This is what holds the result best over time.
Which one suits you is not a catalog choice: it depends on the type of stain, your sensitivity and whether you have visible restorations.
Which stains do lighten and which do not
This is the part almost nobody explains before charging, and the one that prevents the most disappointment:
- Respond well: stains from coffee, tea, red wine, tobacco, and the natural yellowing of age.
- Respond little or unevenly: tetracycline staining and fluorosis. There can be improvement, but the result is not uniform and that has to be said up front.
- Never respond: crowns, veneers, inlays and composite fillings do not whiten. They are materials, not enamel. If you have restorations on visible teeth and whiten the rest, they will look darker by contrast — and the plan becomes replacing them after whitening, so they are made to the new shade.
- A single dark tooth: that is usually a non-vital tooth. The problem is not on the surface and the approach is different — normally root canal treatment and internal bleaching.
Sensitivity: what to expect
Cold sensitivity during treatment and for the following 24–48 hours is common and temporary. It does not mean the tooth is being damaged. It is managed by lowering the concentration, spacing sessions out, or using desensitizing toothpaste beforehand.
If sensitivity is intense or does not settle within a few days, it needs review: there may be a cavity, a leaking filling or gum recession that was already there.
Who is not a candidate right now
- Active cavities or leaking restorations — treated first.
- Untreated gum disease — the gel irritates already inflamed tissue. Periodontal care comes first.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding — postponed out of caution, not proven harm.
- Teeth with cracks or severe wear — peroxide reaches the pulp more easily.
That is why whitening starts with an examination, not with the gel.
How long it lasts and how to keep it
Depending on habits, between one and three years. What shortens it most is coffee, tea, red wine and tobacco. Rinsing with water after those drinks and keeping up daily hygiene stretches the result considerably; touch-ups at home with the same trays do the rest.
What it costs
The cosmetic evaluation is $35 and includes the review with the specialist, a digital X-ray and a written cost plan. The price of the whitening itself is defined at that evaluation, because it depends on which technique suits your case and whether anything needs treating first.
We put it that way on purpose: quoting a number before seeing your case would be making it up.