Black Friday special for Zoom whitening
Professional Teeth Whitening for a Radiant Smile
Brighten your smile by several shades with professional whitening that delivers dramatic, lasting results.
Professional teeth whitening transforms stained, yellowed teeth into brilliantly white smiles using advanced techniques and prescription-strength materials that deliver results impossible to achieve with over-the-counter products. Years of consuming coffee, tea, and red wine, as well as natural aging, can create deep stains within tooth enamel, requiring professional intervention to remove effectively.
At South Hills Dental Arts, we offer comprehensive cosmetic dentistry services, including professional teeth whitening that delivers dramatic, lasting results safely and comfortably. With 35 years of experience across our four convenient Pittsburgh-area locations, we understand how to achieve maximum whitening while protecting your enamel and minimizing sensitivity.
How Much Whiter Can Professional Treatment Make My Teeth?
Professional whitening systems use prescription-strength bleaching agents containing up to 35% hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide, compared to the minimal 3-10% found in store-bought products. This significant difference in concentration allows professional treatments to penetrate deeper into tooth enamel, breaking down stubborn stains surface treatments cannot touch.
Our in-office whitening treatments can brighten teeth by 6-8 shades in just one hour, perfect for special events or when you want immediate results. The transformation often amazes patients who’ve struggled with persistent staining for years. Coffee and tea stains disappear, yellowing from aging reverses dramatically, and even some types of internal staining respond to professional treatment.
Custom supervision ensures both safety and effectiveness. We evaluate your teeth before whitening to identify any issues, such as cavities or exposed roots, that may require special consideration. We can also predict which types of stains will respond best and set realistic expectations for your specific situation.
What's the Difference Between in-office and Take-home Whitening?
In-office power whitening provides the fastest path to dramatic results. We carefully protect your gums and lips using barrier materials, then apply professional-strength whitening gel in precisely timed intervals. Some systems use special lights to accelerate the process, though the high-concentration gel itself performs most of the work.
Take-home professional whitening offers convenience and control over your whitening journey. We create custom trays from precise impressions of your teeth, ensuring a perfect fit and even gel distribution. The professional-strength gel we provide is significantly stronger than anything available over-the-counter but gentler than rapid in-office treatments.
Most patients achieve desired results within 1-2 weeks of consistent take-home use. The gradual nature often results in less sensitivity than rapid treatments while still achieving excellent results. You control the pace and degree of whitening, and having custom trays allows for convenient touch-up treatments whenever needed.
Can I Combine Different Whitening Methods for Better Results?
Combination whitening protocols often produce optimal results. This approach begins with an in-office session for immediate dramatic improvement, followed by take-home trays to enhance and maintain results. The in-office treatment provides instant gratification and motivation, while the take-home treatment ensures all teeth reach uniform brightness.
Patients with severe staining may benefit from multiple in-office sessions combined with extended take-home treatment. We develop customized protocols based on your starting shade, stain types, and whitening goals. This personalized approach ensures you achieve the best possible results for your specific situation.
Having custom trays means you can perform periodic touch-up treatments to maintain your bright smile for years. Most patients perform touch-ups every six to 12 months, though frequency depends on diet and lifestyle factors.
How Do You Manage Tooth Sensitivity During Whitening?
Teeth become stained due to pigments called chromogens attaching to tooth enamel, and professional whitening may cause temporary sensitivity as these stains are removed. We use several strategies to minimize discomfort while maximizing results.
Desensitizing treatments before whitening can significantly reduce sensitivity. These might include fluoride applications or special desensitizing gels blocking sensation in tooth nerves. During treatment, we can adjust concentration and timing to balance effectiveness with comfort.
Lower concentrations, when worn for longer periods, often achieve similar results with less sensitivity than high-concentration, rapid treatments. We may also recommend alternating whitening days with rest days to allow teeth to recover. Post-whitening sensitivity typically resolves within a few days, and we provide desensitizing gel for use in your custom trays
What Types of Stains Respond Best to Professional Whitening?
Not all teeth whiten equally, and stain types significantly impact results. Yellow discoloration typically whitens most effectively, while brown stains require more intensive treatment. Gray discoloration from certain medications may show limited improvement, and we’ll evaluate your specific staining to predict likely results.
Existing dental work won’t change color with whitening treatments. Crowns, veneers, bridges, and fillings remain their original shade. If you have visible restorations, we’ll discuss options for matching them to your newly whitened teeth. Sometimes, whitening first, then replacing old restorations, provides the best overall result.
Teeth with white spots or uneven coloring may require special attention. Sometimes whitening helps blend these areas, while other cases benefit from additional treatments like microabrasion or dental bonding after whitening.
How Can I Maintain My Bright Smile After Professional Whitening?
Maintaining your newly whitened smile requires both immediate and long-term strategies. Immediately after whitening, teeth are especially susceptible to restaining, so we recommend avoiding dark foods and beverages for 48 hours. This allows tooth enamel to rehydrate and stabilize.
Long-term maintenance involves good oral hygiene and smart lifestyle choices. Regular brushing and flossing remove surface stains before they penetrate enamel. Using whitening toothpaste helps maintain brightness between professional treatments. Drinking staining beverages through straws and rinsing with water afterward minimizes contact with teeth.
Professional whitening often serves as the first step in complete smile enhancement. Once patients see how dramatically whitening improves their appearance, they become interested in addressing other cosmetic concerns through treatments available at our practice.
Transform Your Smile With Professional Whitening at South Hills Dental Arts
Don’t let stained or yellowed teeth diminish your confidence any longer. Professional teeth whitening at South Hills Dental Arts provides safe, effective, and lasting results that over-the-counter products simply cannot match. Our experienced team at all four convenient locations ensures you achieve maximum whitening with minimal sensitivity, using advanced techniques developed over 35 years of practice.
We serve Pittsburgh through easily accessible offices in Upper St. Clair, Ingram / Crafton, Sewickley, and McMurray, offering comprehensive treatments under one roof, including Digital Smile Design technology and our virtually painless anesthesia system. Take advantage of our free virtual consultation to discuss your whitening goals from home by sending photos of your teeth for personalized recommendations. Call (412) 725-9939 or complete our contact form to start your journey toward a brilliantly white smile today.
