Teeth Whitening in Darien

Cosmetic

Professional whitening that lifts stains from food, drink, tobacco and age, with a straight explanation of what it will and will not change.

Whitening works genuinely well on the right kind of discolouration and does nothing at all on the wrong kind. Knowing which you have before you spend money on it is the whole point of asking a dentist first.

Request an AppointmentCall (630) 427-1800
Teeth whitening treatment at B&R Dentists in Darien, IL

What’s included

  • In-office and at-home options explained
  • Honest assessment of what whitening can achieve
  • Existing crowns, veneers and fillings accounted for
  • Sensitivity managed rather than ignored
  • Supervised by a dentist, not bought off a shelf

About Teeth Whitening

One of the most common desires patients have is whiter teeth. When considering your options it is important to consult your dentist to make sure you have all the facts and understand how they may affect your teeth and mouth. Many people think the coloring of teeth is due to plaque or dirt. But a variety of factors can affect the color of your teeth including food, drink, tobacco, age, injury, and medications. Understanding what is causing the discoloration is important to properly whiten your teeth. Teeth whitening products use bleaches (either hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide) to break stains into smaller pieces, which make them harder to see and make your teeth brighter. These bleaches do not work on all teeth, so it is important to consult your dentist before any treatment. Whitening will not be effective on caps, veneers, crowns, fillings or if the color is caused by medications or injury. Options for teeth whitening usually include whitening toothpastes, at-home bleaching, and in-office bleaching. Of course effectiveness, safety, and results vary greatly between products, so consult with your dentist if you are considering these choices.

Reasons People Whiten

Gradual yellowing with age, as enamel thins and the darker dentine beneath shows through more. Staining from coffee, tea, red wine, cola and dark sauces. Tobacco staining, which is among the most responsive to professional whitening. A specific event: a wedding, a graduation, a job that involves being photographed. Feeling that your teeth look darker than they used to in photographs. Wanting to lighten the natural teeth before having a crown or veneer made, so that the new restoration can be matched to the lighter shade rather than the old one. This is a sequencing detail people frequently get wrong, since restorations do not whiten afterward.

Benefits of Professional Whitening

The important benefit of doing it through a dental office is diagnostic rather than cosmetic: we identify what is actually causing the discolouration first. Bleaching does nothing for staining from medication such as tetracycline, or for a single tooth darkened by old trauma, and someone who buys a kit for those will spend money and get nothing. Professional whitening is also stronger and more evenly applied than over-the-counter strips, so results are more predictable and reached faster, and custom trays keep gel on the teeth rather than on the gums, which is where most of the burning and irritation from generic kits comes from. Sensitivity is anticipated and managed — usually with a desensitising agent and by adjusting how long the gel is worn — rather than being something you endure and abandon halfway through.

What to Expect

We start with an examination, because whitening an untreated cavity or inflamed gums is uncomfortable and unwise, and because a cleaning alone often removes more surface staining than people expect. We then check what restorations you have in the visible zone: whitening will not be effective on caps, veneers, crowns or fillings, so if you have a crown on a front tooth, whitening the teeth around it will make that crown stand out, sometimes the honest recommendation is to whiten and then replace the crown to match, and sometimes it is not to whiten at all. For in-office treatment the gums are isolated and protected before gel is applied. For take-home, impressions are taken for custom trays and you are shown how to load and wear them. Some sensitivity to cold during and shortly after treatment is common and temporary; overuse of whiteners can cause lasting damage, which is exactly why supervision is worth having.

Common Questions

How long do the results last?
Usually one to three years, depending heavily on diet and whether you smoke. Coffee, tea, red wine and tobacco bring the colour back fastest. If you have take-home trays you can top up periodically, which is the cheapest way to maintain it.
Will it damage my enamel?
Professionally supervised whitening at appropriate concentrations does not damage enamel. What causes problems is overuse. Repeatedly bleaching beyond what is recommended can cause lasting damage, and this is far more common with unsupervised over-the-counter products used indefinitely.
Why does it not work on my crown?
Whitening bleaches natural tooth structure. Porcelain and composite are inert. The gel has nothing to act on. Whitening will not be effective on caps, veneers, crowns or fillings, so existing restorations stay the shade they were made, which is why we plan the order of treatment carefully.
Will my teeth become sensitive?
Some cold sensitivity during and for a day or two after treatment is common and settles. It is more likely if you already have gum recession or exposed root surfaces. We use desensitising agents and can slow the treatment down; it is not a reason to avoid whitening, but it is a reason to do it with supervision. If the bleach in a whitening product gets through the enamel of your teeth, it can irritate the nerves and cause tooth sensitivity. This sensitivity is usually temporary, but overuse of whiteners can cause lasting damage. If you are experiencing prolonged side effects from teeth whitening, contact us right away.
Are over-the-counter kits any use?
Whitening toothpastes remove surface stain but do not change the underlying colour. Strips can lighten teeth modestly. The limitations are that the trays are not fitted to your mouth so the gel sits unevenly and on the gums, and nothing tells you whether your particular discolouration will respond at all. For mild staining they can be reasonable; for anything else you are better off asking first.

Terms You May Hear

Extrinsic stain
Surface staining from food, drink and tobacco. Responds well to cleaning and whitening.
Intrinsic stain
Discolouration from within the tooth, from medication, injury or age. Often does not respond to bleaching and may need a veneer or crown.
Carbamide peroxide
One of the two bleaching agents used in whitening gels; it breaks down into hydrogen peroxide more slowly, which suits take-home trays.

Related Services

Ready to Schedule Your Appointment?

Call (630) 427-1800 to find out what whitening would actually do for your teeth.

Request an Appointment(630) 427-1800