Cosmetic Dentistry Can Give Even Ordinary Mortals Movie Star-Quality Teeth

By Patrick Yeagle
A dazzling white smile can be a great asset. Just ask Natalie White.
“I get a lot of compliments on my smile, White said. “Someone at church said I have a Pepsodent smile.”
But her smile wasn’t always so bright. During childhood, White had to take
asthma medicine that turned her teeth a dull yellow. After having her teeth whitened professionally, White said she feels more confident with her new smile.
For anyone seeking a brighter, whiter smile, there are a few options from which to choose. Those with only slight discoloration may want to save money by opting for home kits available over the counter. For more persistent stains, a trip to the dentist for professional whitening may be in order.
The whitening process consists of applying a bleaching gel to the teeth, usually with a mouth tray or plastic strip, while some products are simply brushed onto the teeth. In general, dentists use the same types of bleaching agents for teeth whitening as are contained in the home kits, but dentists have a few advantages. A dentist can create custom mouth trays to fit closely, increasing the bleaching gel’s contact with the teeth. Many dentists also use an ultraviolet lamp to accelerate the action of the bleaching gel, getting more noticeable results in a shorter time.
“The one-hour technique has the benefit of getting pretty significant results in a short period of time,” said Dr. Ken Berley, a dentist who owns a practice in Rogers. “It has the negative of that’s the technique that causes the most amount of sensitivity.”
If patients don’t need their teeth whitened by tomorrow, Berley prefers using the take-home technique. He creates custom trays and sends them home with patients who bleach their teeth at home for a few weeks before returning to the dentist’s office.
“We check them in two weeks and make sure that they’re not having any sensitivity and that we’re getting the kind of progress that we want,” Berley said.
The effects of the bleaching process might vary from person to person, but if done correctly, patients will notice a difference quickly. “Within a two week period of time, if the patient bleaches daily they can get maybe seven, eight, nine shades brighter,” Berley said.
Bleaching is not a permanent solution and patients who want their brighter smile to last will have to continue treatment.
“The negative with all bleaching is it definitely has to be touched up,” Berley said.
Improving someone’s smile is oftentimes one part of a makeover. People sometimes start with a brighter smile because its one of the less expensive parts to fix, Berley said.

The Morning News’ correspondent Antoinette Grajeda contributed to this report.