It’s perfectly natural for teeth to become discolored over the course of time due to environmental factors, foods (like coffee, soda, chocolate, and red wine), and age — even if you brush, floss, and visit us at Apple Springs Family Dentistry regularly. Luckily, there are also options to fight discoloration and get the pearly white smile we all dream of!
Although over-the-counter teeth whitening options abound, they are often the least effective. At Apple Springs Family Dentistry, Drs. Tay and Nguyen are proud to offer a more successful option, Zoom teeth whitening.
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What Is Zoom?
Zoom teeth whitening is professional in-office whitening that takes less than an hour and can brighten your smile up to 8 shades whiter! Zoom uses a hydrogen peroxide whitening gel that is applied to the surface of teeth (carefully avoiding the lips and gums) and a Zoom Advanced Power Chairside Lamp, which activates the gel and helps to lift stains from the enamel.
How Does It Work?
Step One:
While the Zoom procedure takes less than an hour, we may recommend you first have a professional teeth cleaning. If you haven’t seen us in a while for a cleaning, we suggest a full dental scale and clean before your Zoom session to remove surface stains and help you get the most out of your whitening investment.
We will make note of the initial shade of your teeth so that we can keep track of your progress throughout your whitening session.
Step Two:
The actual whitening process starts with covering the gums and lips so that only the front surfaces of your teeth are exposed. Next, the Zoom whitening gel is applied.
Once the powerful Zoom gel is applied, we will give you safety glasses to protect your eyes. Now we’ll turn on the Zoom light and shine it in front of your teeth. A full Zoom whitening treatment is three separate 15-minute sessions, but we’ll be there and check in on you regularly, in case you need anything.
During this time, you can sit back, relax, and enjoy our in-office televisions equipped with Netflix, or listen to music.
Step Three:
After your sessions, we will remove all of the gel residues from your mouth and hand you a mirror so you can see your results. We can’t guarantee that you’ll get a particular result or shade, but many of our patients see a big difference with a brightening of 2 to 3 shades.
Aftercare:
The 48 hours after Zoom whitening is absolutely key to maintaining your results. It’s especially important to avoid tobacco, as smoking is one of the chief offenders in turning teeth yellow. You’ll also want to avoid staining foods right after to help prevent the stains from reforming. A good rule of thumb: if it’s dark, red, or spicy, you probably shouldn’t eat it, at least not until two days after your Zoom treatment!
Keep up your good oral hygiene habits after Zoom; brush twice and floss daily and maintain those six-month check-ups and cleanings!
Call our office today to schedule a consultation to discuss Zoom teeth whitening!
