teeth whitening kits

Dentists have come a long way in the realm of teeth whitening. When it comes to brightening your smile, you now have a wide variety of effective options. Teeth whitening trays and strips are two of the most popular treatments out there. But which will leave you with the best results? Our dental experts are here to help you figure this out so that you spend your time and money on the best treatment for you.

What Are Teeth Whitening Trays?

Teeth whitening trays aren’t as well known as strips. But that doesn’t mean they are less effective. In order to treat your discolored or stained teeth with trays, you fill a tray that looks like a mouth guard with a gel whitening solution, made up of a hydrogen peroxide-bleaching agent.
You then fit this teeth-shaped tray over your teeth and wear it for certain period of time. We typically recommend that our patients wear their tray for one to two hours a day for one to two weeks. This process may need to be continued for longer, depending on your particular teeth condition and instructions.
Trays can either be bought over the counter or from your dentist. However, it’s best to get a customized tray made for your particular teeth from your dentist. If you buy a tray from your local drugstore, it may not fit over your teeth well, causing the gel to leak and unevenly whiten your teeth. Over the counter trays may also include solution that may be too strong or weak for your particular teeth condition.

What Are Teeth Whitening Strips?

Teeth whitening strips are extremely well known, thanks to the huge marketing push from dental corporations. These strips are typically very thin and virtually invisible plastic sheets that contain a hydrogen peroxide solution (similar to the solution found in the teeth whitening trays). Each container of strips will feature a different strength solution, so it’s important to follow the directions for your particular box.
You typically place these strips on your bottom and top teeth, and leave them there for an indicated amount of time, anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes. You may have to do this every day for a week, two weeks or more, depending on the directions.

Teeth Whitening Trays vs. Strips: Which is the Best Option for Your Teeth?

If you’re looking for the best teeth whitening results for your teeth, trays are the way to go. When you receive a tray from your dentist, he or she will make an impression of your teeth so that the tray is customized to fit your teeth perfectly. This means that all of your teeth will receive the treatment that they need - you won’t miss any spots. You also won’t accidentally bleach your gums with a customized tray.
With teeth whitening strips, you have to be careful to make sure you are covering all of your teeth and aren’t hitting your gums. This can be especially difficult with hard-to-reach areas in your mouth.
When it comes to the strength of the whitening solution, prescribed trays are also much better. Over-the-counter strips and trays usually come with a standard low strength solution from 10% to 22%. When a dentist provides you with a tray, he or she will give you a strength that will best meet your needs depending on the severity of your teeth discoloration - anywhere from 15% to 43%. This means that trays can work to erase even the most prominent of stains.
When you visit your dentist’s office to receive a teeth whitening tray, your dentist will make sure that bleaching is an effective option for your teeth. Sometimes, teeth whitening solutions aren’t the best answer for tooth discoloration. Your dentist will help you save time and money by making sure you’re choosing the best treatment for your teeth.
At Water Tower Dental Care, we offer custom trays in our take-home teeth whitening kits. In as little as two days, we can make an impression of your teeth, get your tray ready for you and teach you how to use it. After you have worn your tray for about one hour a day for two weeks, we will have another appointment with you to check your progress and see if you should continue the treatment.
With our take-home whitening kit, you are guaranteed to see whitening results in two weeks. No more money wasted on ineffective treatments. Make your pearly whites shine again with a teeth whitening tray. Contact us today to make an appointment!
 

When it comes to taking care of our teeth, we generally hear the same kind of advice all of the time: brush and floss everyday and don’t eat too much candy. While this advice is extremely important, there are a lot of additional ways to keep your teeth healthy as well. We asked our dentists at Water Tower Dental Care to share some tips for taking care of your teeth that you probably haven’t heard before. Here are 6 unusual teeth tips straight from our dentists.

1. Eat Cheese (In Moderation)

Believe it or not, cheese is good for your teeth! Like the peroxide-based teeth-whitening solutions we described earlier, cheese helps to neutralize acids in your mouth, increasing your pH levels for about 30 minutes, according to the Academy of General Dentistry. This means less bacteria breeding in your mouth and less teeth erosion. Cheese also causes salivation, which helps get rid harmful bacteria and food particles. Finally, cheese contains casein phosphate, which keeps your teeth strong. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean you should eat all of the cheese that you possibly can. You only need about ⅓ of a slice to get these oral benefits.

2. Whiten Your Teeth For Health & Cosmetic Reasons

While teeth whitening can make your teeth look better than ever, its benefits aren’t purely cosmetic. Teeth whitening can also help keep your teeth healthy by removing plaque and preventing tooth decay. Recent research has found that teeth whitening products that contain a peroxide-based solution can effectively get rid of plaque, reduce caries bacteria, and increase the pH level of your mouth, according to Professor Van B. Haywood.
When the pH level in your mouth becomes too low, this means that it is highly acidic. If your pH level is highly acidic, bacteria will begin to breed and your enamel will break down. Peroxide-based teeth-whitening solutions will neutralize your pH levels to a healthy 7 or 8, reducing the acidity in your mouth. This is especially helpful after you eat or drink highly acidic food, such as coffee, wine and citrus fruits. Ask us about our at-home teeth whitening kits to help your teeth look and feel healthier today!

3. Keep Your Mouth Healthy With Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has a ton of health benefits, from decreasing cholesterol levels to helping diabetes. It turns out that coconut oil is great for your oral health too. Through a method called oil pulling, coconut oil can actually help pull bacteria off of your teeth for a healthier and cleaner smile. All you have to do is swish around a teaspoon of coconut oil in your mouth for about 20 minutes. Of course, you should still keep up with your regular routine of brushing, flossing and using mouthwash.
If you’re questioning the validity of this claim, good for you. You shouldn’t believe everything you read on the Internet, especially when it comes to oral health. Thankfully, there are various studies, including the following three, that have proved that oil pulling effectively fights off bacteria: Study 1, Study 2, Study 3. You can read more about oil pulling for your teeth here.

4. Use Oral Probiotics For Your Mouth

In the past, probiotics were thought to only help digestive and immune health. But recently, probiotics designed specifically for oral health have been found to naturally support gum and tooth health, make your breath fresh and whiten your teeth. Effective probiotics trigger the production of healthy bacteria that work to keep your mouth and gums healthy. They also reduce the nutrients for bacteria that cause bad breath, and produce low doses of hydrogen peroxide to gently whiten your teeth. Learn more about oral probiotics from Evora.

5. Don’t Use Your Teeth As Tools

While it may be more convenient to open that bag of chips with your teeth rather than finding scissors, using your teeth as tools can have serious (and expensive) consequences. Many of our patients have come in with broken, cracked or chipped teeth because they tried using their teeth to cut or open something. Your teeth are meant for chewing food in your mouth - Not for anything else. It’s not worth the pain or the price to fix your teeth.

6. You Can Use A Reversal Agent for Mouth Numbing

Some patients avoid important dental procedures because of the irritating and sometimes damaging numbing sensation that they experience hours afterwards. While it’s great to be numb in the dentist’s chair, it’s not so great when you’re hungry a couple hours afterwards. At worst, some patients chew their lip and gums because they can’t feel what their teeth are doing. Many patients may drool and not be able to talk properly, smile, or eat and drink because their mouths are numb. Thankfully, at Water Tower Dental Care, we offer reversal agents for teeth numbing, so that you can return to feeling your mouth much faster, and avoid the painful and embarrassing after effects.
We hope these unusual tips from our dentists, along with your normal health routine, help you to make your teeth even healthier. If you would like any more tips, reach out to us on our Facebook page. We’re full of helpful and creative ways to keep your teeth looking and feeling as good as new!

There’s a reason Zoom! Teeth Whitening is so popular. It’s safe, fast and brightens smiles up to eight shades in about an hour. Sounds pretty amazing right? After you’ve received your Zoom! Teeth Whitening treatment and your teeth have finally become the pearly white color of your dreams, the last thing you want is to stain them back to their original color.
If you get your teeth whitening treatment done at Water Tower Dental Care in Chicago, you won’t have to worry about your teeth staining for a while. We’ll instruct you on how to best keep your teeth sparkling white for years to come after Zoom!, and offer you an at-home whitening kit along with an electric toothbrush whitening package. Still, it’s good to understand what you’ll have to do to keep your teeth white even before you go in for the treatment. Let’s take a more detailed look at exactly how to keep your teeth white after Zoom!

How Does Zoom! Teeth Whitening Work?

Zoom! Teeth whitening can make your teeth seven to eight shades whiter after just one short appointment. It’s considered one of the safest and most effective cosmetic dental treatments in dentistry. So how does it work? First, your dentist applies a special pH-balanced hydrogen peroxide solution to the surface of your teeth. The solution is then activated with a special low-heat light. The gel exfoliates your teeth stains from the inside out, leaving them looking better than ever. The entire procedure is made up of three 15-minute treatments that involve applying the solution and then heating it up. It’s as easy as that!

How to Keep Your Teeth White For Years To Come After Zoom!

Now that you know how we whiten your teeth, it’s time to discuss the most important part for you: keeping your teeth white after Zoom! When you come into our Chicago offices, we’ll give you more detailed instructions on how to do this and provide you with the tools to do so. But here is a general overview on how to keep those stains away after your Zoom! Teeth Whitening treatment.
First, you’ll want to avoid consuming any food or drinks that can stain your teeth for 24 hours after your treatment, such as coffee, red wine, pasta sauce, and tea. Zoom! makes your teeth porous for up to 24 hours, which leaves your teeth more susceptible to staining.
If you don’t already, you’ll want to consider using 3D whitening mouthwash and toothpaste. Depending on which brand you get, the ingredients in 3D whitening toothpaste and mouthwash can loosen up stains so that they are easier to brush away. You should use this toothpaste and mouthwash as many times a day as the maker recommends, or at least twice a day.
At Water Tower Dental Care, we will offer you a take home whitening kit to maintain your results over a longer period of time. We’ve ensured that these kits are safe and effective, so that you’re getting the most bang for your buck. They are easy to use and you won’t have to use them too often. Just make sure to follow our instructions, because you can overdo it.
Finally, we can also send you home with an electric toothbrush whitening package with whitening strips, so that you can take care of your pearly whites daily. This package is specifically designed for keeping your teeth white. Just follow our instructions, and you should be set!
Are you ready to get the smile of your dreams? Contact us to schedule an appointment at the #1 cosmetic dental practice in Chicago! You won’t be disappointed by your results.

Sparkling white smiles are impressive - There’s no doubt about it. White teeth exude confidence, youth and healthiness, which is why so many people get their teeth whitened. But as the teeth whitening trend has picked up more and more steam, it’s important to ask yourself about the safety of teeth whitening treatments.

Many people avoid getting their teeth bleached because they worry that it will damage their enamel. Fortunately, as long as you follow your dentist’s directions and product labels, teeth whitening should not cause enamel loss or damage to your teeth. Here's what to look out for.

Enamel and Teeth Whitening

Nowadays, there are virtually limitless options when it comes to looking for teeth whitening kits and products online. You can find hundreds of products on Amazon alone. While this may sound like a good thing at first, some products out there aren’t ADA approved, and are made with dangerous ingredients that can damage your teeth and enamel.
It’s best to play it safe when it comes to whitening your teeth and consult a dentist. They will help you to choose a product that is safe for your specific smile and make sure that it works effectively. The best and safest way to whiten your teeth is to have a dentist do it for you. At Water Tower Dental Care in Chicago, we can dramatically whiten your teeth during one in-office treatment using Zoom! Whitening.

But even if you use dentist-approved products, they can still cause enamel loss and erosion. You have to make sure that you’re following your dentist’s directions and the product’s label while whitening your teeth. Over-whitening can lead to teeth trouble.
And remember, it’s normal to feel a little tooth sensitivity after your teeth whitening treatment. This sensitivity doesn’t mean you’ve damaged your enamel. Rather, it’s caused by the treatment opening the channels within your teeth, which allows bleach to permeate your teeth and whiten them from the inside out. This side effect is only temporary.

Who Shouldn’t Get Their Teeth Whitened?

Just because everyone can get their teeth whitened doesn’t mean they should. Teeth whitening treatments can damage teeth that have certain problems. You should speak to a dentist before bleaching your teeth if you have sensitive teeth, worn enamel or gum disease. There are also several dental issues that cause discoloration, but should be fixed by addressing the root of the problem rather than masked with teeth whitening treatments. These include root canal issues, tooth decay and abscessed teeth. Also, if you have exposed roots that are discolored, bleaching won’t be able to help much because they are more resistant to the treatment.

Teeth Whitening Results

Your teeth-bleaching results depend on the type of treatment used and your individual set of teeth. Some of our patients’ glistening results last for 6 months, while others’ can last for up to 10 years! Typically, your teeth will remain beautifully white between 6 months to 2 years. Then you’ll have to get them whitened again. As of right now, no teeth whitening solution is permanent. But hopefully, that will change one day!
Interested in learning more about teeth whitening? Reach out to us on Facebook! We would love to answer your questions directly and help you get the standout smile of your dreams.

For every great, reliable method for tooth care, there are dozens of imitators and "fast-acting" methods that try to cash in on new trends. The process of teeth whitening is one of the biggest victims of this pattern. While at-home whitening techniques can work, it's hard to sift through the many different products to find the ones guaranteed to do a good job. Many products can promise whiter teeth, but don't help fix the underlying problem. Others can take so long to show a difference that you forget what your teeth first looked like to even determine a change in color.
While you may continue to ask if at-home teeth whitening is worth it while trying dozens of new products, we believe it's our duty to help you choose the best teeth whitening kits, and to tell you which don't work.

First, what doesn't work?

Toothpastes: Though there are a lot of toothpastes claiming to whiten teeth, for the most part, they don't have much effect. Though some do offer a slight change in color, this is mostly from a chemical used in the toothpaste called blue covarine which, rather that scrubbing off stains to reach the white tooth, it stains the teeth white. In a way, this is counter-active. It would be like painting over the stains on your living room walls, though they might disappear for a little bit; the stain is still there and will slowly resurface with time.
Mouthwashes: Though a lot of guarantees are given with mouthwashes that whiten teeth, again, for the most part, they're not very effective. The reason being that the hydrogen peroxide present in mouth whitening mouthwashes is not strong enough to make a lasting impression. The chemical can remove surface stains from the teeth, but not much further. Unfortunately, surface stains are the ones that come back rather quickly (through drinking coffee, red wine, smoking, etc.).
Gels: Very similar to both mouthwashes and toothpastes, gels can show results, but many of those results won't appear for over six weeks. Though they do often garner better results than both mouthwashes and toothpastes, they still are mediocre at best. The chemical combinations are not custom to your teeth as well as usually not very strong.

What does work?

Over-the-Counter Kits: The best at-home teeth whitening remedy is obtained by visiting a dentist and allowing them to prepare a take home kit for you. These are similar to gels where you use them at home for a stretch of time to garner results. The difference is that the Dentist will make you a customized mouth tray and can guide you through the steps of proper whitening.
The chemical solutions are stronger than products you can purchase at a local pharmacy and only take about two weeks to show lasting results. On average, the trays are used for one hour a day for a total of two weeks. Follow-up appointments are necessary to advise future treatments.
Water Tower Dental Care provides a great at-home whitening surface that's guaranteed to make your smile brighter. Make an appointment today for more information.

Or, Get Out of the House

Though At-Home remedies can brighten your smile, if you really want lasting results, consider making an appointment with Water Tower Dental for a team of trained professionals to take your stained teeth and make them look brand new. Using the leading whitening system, Zoom!, Water Tower Dental Care can change your teeth's color eight shades in an hour. A specific pH balanced hydrogen peroxide is applied to your teeth while a low heat light activates the solution to penetrate down to the whitest layers of your teeth. Call today to talk to one of our dental care professionals to learn more about whitening your teeth.