Improve your smile today – call to schedule a consultation!

Teeth Whitening

Stained, discolored, or yellow teeth are unattractive and can make it embarrassing for you to smile. Let Dr. Jordan at Lone Oak Dental whiten your smile to the brightest it has ever been! Bleaching or whitening is one of the most cost-effective ways to create a more pleasing smile. It is a relatively quick, non-invasive way to better your appearance.

Why Your Teeth Discolor

Think of your teeth like a white t-shirt. If you spill highly pigmented foods or drinks on your shirt, it will result in a stain that’s difficult to remove. Some foods and drinks that stain teeth are coffee, tea, soda, and wine. Teeth are porous, and these pigments can enter your tooth, leading to stains that are not removable by brushing and dental cleanings. In addition, these foods can lead to staining around white fillings. Carbamide peroxide used in our professional whitening treatment is a safe chemical typically used to whiten teeth as it breaks down the stains that build-up inside.

Before starting the whitening process, you should have an examination and any appropriate x-rays taken. Some areas that appear to be stained may actually be cavities or cracks in a tooth that may require treatment other than bleaching. However, if there are small cavities and they are not sensitive, whitening can be done with minimal concern.

How Teeth Whitening Works

Whitening is most effective after you have had your teeth cleaned, so we would recommend that you plan to have the whitening treatment performed within a month of your cleaning. The whitening process starts by taking molds of your teeth to create custom trays. At Lone Oak Dental, we can make whitening trays in our office typically within one week so you can quickly get started with this confidence-boosting process. These custom trays hold the bleaching material close to the teeth, providing the best results. Depending on what color your teeth are to start and what your goals are, whitening may take from 2 weeks to 6 months to achieve the desired effect.

One of the convenient, easy aspects of whitening is that it is very effective when done while you are sleeping. The trays and whitening material are worn for 6-8 hours at night, creating a beautiful smile while you sleep! Most people find that after about one month, their teeth have lightened significantly and they are happy with the result. To maintain that beautiful snow-white smile, whitening should be done one to two nights per month.

Whitening is very beneficial before dental procedures such as veneers and cosmetic dentistry. When veneers and crowns are done, we often try to match the color of the final product to the current color of your natural teeth. If you have recently bleached your teeth, the resulting crowns or veneers will be whiter, giving you that Hollywood smile!

Learn More About Teeth Whitening

Of all the smile transformation procedures that can be done, whitening is likely the most inexpensive and effective treatment option. The team at Lone Oak Dental would like to guide you through the whitening process to create the bright smile you desire.

Rejuvenate your smile today! If you are interested in learning more about this easy, confidence boosting process, call our office!

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I get my teeth whiter?

Common causes of discolored teeth are old fillings, drinking coffee and tea, and aging.

Let’s be honest, whitening toothpastes and mouthwashes don’t really work. Over-the-counter products like Crest Whitestrips do bleach teeth, but they only work on the front teeth, the effect is short lasting, and the strips move around and are annoying.

The best way to significantly whiten your teeth is to have custom bleaching trays made in our office. Custom-made bleaching trays are very comfortable and last a long time. These trays are the most effective way to deliver prescription strength whitening products that will give you the fastest and the most reliable results.

Whitening is most effective when done for longer periods of time, such as 6 to 8 hours. What better time to bleach your teeth than when you are sleeping? The research that has been done on whitening shows that most patients can expect good results in about 3 weeks by using carbamide peroxide in custom-made trays worn overnight. Rare conditions such as tetracycline-stained teeth may take 6 to 12 months.

Like everything, dental fillings age and can discolor over time. If you have stains around old fillings, the fillings may be leaking and need to be replaced or polished. Often times a great improvement can be achieved by whitening and then replacing the old fillings with whiter and more color-stable restorations.

Why is my front tooth turning orange and brown?

As we age, our teeth often yellow. However, teeth turning orange and brown in color are often a sign that the nerve in the tooth has died. This often happens after a tooth has be bumped or hit and it may happen very soon after the accident or may take years. Such coloring requires immediate attention from our dental office in Brookings.

All teeth whether baby or adult teeth have a blood supply and a nerve that enters through the root. If a tooth is hit hard enough, these arteries, nerves and veins are disrupted. Broken blood vessels in the tooth will result in a brown and orange color. While the discoloration may be gradual and not painful, a more serious process called resorption may be occurring. Resorption often is caused by trauma and results in the root of the tooth being eaten away. This can lead to tooth and bone loss.

These teeth often require root canal treatment and such therapy should be completed as soon as possible to prevent resorption of the tooth root or infection. The orange color can often be conservatively resolved with internal bleaching. If the coloring cannot be resolved with whitening, it may require a veneer or crowning the tooth. If you have any questions, please schedule an appointment with Dr. Jordan.

I'm not happy with my smile, what can be done?

Many Americans are not happy with their smile. Some don’t like the shape or size of their teeth, others don’t like the color. Crooked and overlapping teeth are also a common complaint.

The great news is that there are many options to improve your smile! The technology today has given us clear aligners, Invisalign, and clear braces to straighten teeth. Orthodontic options such as Invisalign and clear aligners allow us to move teeth into the correct position, get rid of crowding and overlapped teeth. For chipped, worn and decayed teeth, we have treatments such as white fillings, veneers and cosmetic crowns.

Dr. Jordan believes that almost everyone that is unhappy with their smile can benefit from straightening their teeth and whitening. With that in mind, a great way to start improving your smile is by using over the counter whitening strips.

Meet Our Doctor:

Dr. Bradley Jordan
Dentist and Owner

I grew up in Stillwater, Minnesota. My dental degree is from the University of Minnesota, where I graduated third in my class. After dental school, I had the privilege of completing an Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency in San Antonio, Texas. This intense program gave me the training needed to confidently complete difficult procedures such as implants, cosmetics, full mouth reconstructions, and sedation dentistry. One of the greatest aspects of this program was that we treated U.S. Veterans and it allowed me to give back to those ...