Maybe your friend finally came through, arranging for you to have dinner with her old college study buddy, the one you think is gorgeous. Or maybe you got a last-minute invite to a formal dance, one where you know lots of photos will be taken.
Fortunately, you’ve got an outfit perfect for the occasion, and you can visit your favorite salon for a quick blowout. But is there anything you can do to make your smile look great that doesn’t involve multiple trips to the dentist? Yes! In fact, you have more than one option to quickly whiten your teeth at our Beverly, MA dentist office.
Call Martins Dental Partners at 978-288-1946 to book an appointment for one of the cosmetic dental services we discuss below. With multiple dentists and our consistent hours, we can often work you into our schedule on short notice. And unlike many dentists, you can get an appointment on Friday.
Teeth Whitening Gets Your Smile Bright in an Hour
You can get a teeth whitening treatment in our office that can brighten your smile in about an hour. Your smile will be several shades whiter after we apply hydrogen-peroxide whitening gel to your teeth. Our professional formulas contain higher amounts of whitening ingredients than the products you can buy in drugstores.
We’ll carefully cover your gums and tooth roots with a protective barrier to avoid irritating them, and we’ll use a device called a retractor to keep your lips and cheeks away from the whitening gel. You just relax and let us do all the work!
To keep your teeth looking nice and bright, we suggest you do periodic touch-ups at home. We’ll supply you with professional-strength gel and custom-made whitening trays that make it easy for you to apply it to your teeth.
Bonding Quickly Covers Discoloration Too
Tooth bonding is another quick option for covering discoloration. One of our dentists will apply tooth-colored resin to your smile in a single appointment. We’ll first clean your teeth, then apply an acidic gel that helps the resin adhere to teeth. After applying the resin, we “cure” it with a special blue light. We’ll apply the resin in layers and shape it until your teeth blend in naturally with the rest of your smile. The final step is a polish. Bonding can also be used to correct flaws like chips, uneven edges, and small gaps.
Want to Keep Your Smile White?
Once your teeth look whiter, you’ll want to maintain your bright smile as long as possible. The best way to do so is to brush and floss your teeth every day. Visit us regularly for professional dental cleanings, during which we remove surface stains and polish teeth so they look and feel great. Smoking can stain teeth; if you need an incentive to quit, how about a great-looking smile?
Avoid foods and beverages that stain, including red wine, tea, and coffee. You’ll slow down the staining and keep your smile looking great if you rinse your mouth out with water after consuming them. Doing so helps keep their staining properties from adhering to your teeth.
Don’t Have an Hour? Brighten Your Smile in Minutes
It’s possible to make your smile appear whiter and brighter even if you’ve only got a minute. Appear is the key word here. Unlike teeth whitening or other cosmetic dental treatments, you won’t actually change the color of your teeth. Still, these suggestions work in a pinch.
A lipstick in the right shade can make your teeth look whiter. If your teeth appear yellow, you can counteract it by wearing a lipstick with blue or purple undertones. Good choices include berry, plum, or true reds. For teeth that appear gray and dingy, a lipstick with copper or bronze undertones is a better choice.
Another way of creating contrast and brightening your smile is applying a bronzer or self-tanner. A natural tan works too, of course, if you’ve got a trip to the beach planned! But it’ll take longer to get the desired effect. Even wearing dark colors near your face can help, especially if you want your smile to look whiter for a photo.
Keep Your Teeth White With Veneers or Crowns
You can also opt for dental veneers or dental crowns to cover stains. Both treatments involve taking impressions of your teeth, then having an outside dental lab create your custom-made restorations. Both will last longer than bonding. And unlike bonding, porcelain veneers or crowns are resistant to stains.
Our Beverly, MA dentists will be happy to discuss all the options to whiten your teeth, so you can select the one that’s best for your smile. Call 978-288-1946.
