How Does Teeth Whitening Work?

A whitening gel is placed in a tray that fits over your teeth. There is an active ingredient in the gel called carbamide peroxide which breaks down and begins to enter the enamel and bleaches the colored substances. How safe is the procedure? Very; dentists have known for years that whitening/bleaching is a safe and fast way to whiten teeth up to 2-5 shades. When whitening, the structure of the tooth is not changed; only the tooth is made lighter and whiter. If you have fillings, crowns or bonding in on your teeth they will not lighten.

At Home Whitening

You have two options when it comes to at-home whitening, over-the-counter products and take-home kits from our office. The over-the-counter products, like Crest Whitestrips® and paint-on solutions, are less effective and do not provide the brightness our in-office treatment can provide. These products do not last as long, either. The “professional strength” version of Crest® and other brands do have a stronger, more potent bleaching agent in them, again, with limited results. Even the most common at-home methods such as chewing a whitening gum, whitening toothpastes, and mints have a limited whitening ability.

The take-home whitening kit involves a thorough exam, impressions of your upper and lower teeth and the creation of a set of plastic trays that cover your teeth up to the gumline. The trays themselves are made of a soft, flexible and comfortable plastic material that flexes in your mouth and is quite easy to wear. Before inserting the trays, you will fill them with a whitening material (usually a carbamide peroxide mixture) to a level that does not come to your gum tissue, so your gums will not get irritated during the process. Of course, Dr.shiffman, will give you specific instructions for length of wear and frequency to get the desired result.

In Office Whitening

Zoom and Opalescence Boost are our choices for in-office tooth whitening. Clinically proven to whiten natural teeth, They both lighten internal discoloration caused by medication or tooth trauma, as well as superficial stains from foods, drinks and smoking. Fillings and bonding materials remain unaffected. Opalescence Boost features a unique, chemically activated formula that allows us to whiten your teeth without the bothersome heat or ultraviolet rays of a light. It also contains potassium nitrate and fluoride, which help to improve oral health by strengthening enamel, decreasing sensitivity, and offering increased cavity prevention. Opalescence Boost offers results in about an hour. The dentist-supervised, in-office procedure is safe and effective, and offers a brighter, whiter smile after just one appointment. This dramatic change does cost more, but the quick result, lack of daily up keep like the in-home whitening kits, and the relatively low cost to benefit received make it a huge success.

If you would like more information about teeth whitening options, please call our office to discuss the whitening treatments we offer, and which would be best for you.

You Can Smile Brighter This Spring!

It is estimated that there are millions of snorers in the U.S. Of these, about 1/3 are affected by sleep apnea .
This makes snoring a national disease.

Why is snoring a problem?

Anyone who has been sleeping next to someone who snores understands the problem of snoring. Snoring affects not only the person who snores,but snoring affects their partner and family members.
Many relationships are destroyed or stressed due to snoring.

What many do not know is that snoring also causes many physical problems.

Snoring can cause:

Cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension

Sleepiness and fatigue during the day

Morning Headaches

Impotence in men

Depression

Due to Fatigue we see that snorers are seven times more likely to be involved in car accidents.
Due to Fatigue we can see that many snorers easily lose patience and become aggressive.
Snorers are overrepresented among people who have heart attacks and strokes.

What can you do to reduce snoring?

Lose weight if you are overweight

Avoid alcohol before bedtime

Avoid eating large meals 2 hours before bedtime

Avoid energy drinks such as Red Bull

Surgical Treatments involving hospitalization, general anesthesia, pain and prolonged healing.

Snoring and pregnancy.

Many women suffer from snoring during pregnancy. The last three months of pregnancy can be challenging. This form of snoring usually disappears by itself and should not be treated.

Laser energy has been used both in pure medical applications and cosmetic treatments for decades. In recent years, a new type of cosmetic, non-surgical application came on the market, namely the tightening of tissue/skin by laser-based heat. this has been available outside the body for such areas as the face, chest and stomach. A couple of years ago experts in the field of Laser Treatment realized that the method could be used even for a tightening of the tissue in the throat and snoring and apnea problems could be addressed.
The patented Nightlase treatment developed on this idea proved to be very effective and absolutely painless. You need two or three treatments, each about 30 minutes and then you can eat,drink,talk and live a completely normal life immediately after the completely painless treatment. This is quite different from the painful surgical procedures with long convalescence times which are the currently offered options along with occlusal splints, oxygen masks or other inconvenient and impractical equipment needed at night.

Call Dr Harvey Shiffman, your Boynton Beach dentist at 561 737 6400 to see if you are a candidate for Nightlase treatment.

These screenings are more important now then ever because oral cancer is on the rise. There are two distinct pathways by which most people come to oral cancer. One is through the use of tobacco and alcohol, a long term historical problem and cause, the other is through the exposure to the HPV-16 virus, which is now the leading cause of oral cancers in the U.S. Today we are seeing young, non-smoking individuals as the fastest growing segment of the oral cancer population. When found early, oral cancers have a 80% survival rate. Unfortunately, the majorities are found as late stage cancers and this accounts for the very high death rate of about 45% at five years from diagnosis. Late stage diagnosis is not occurring because these cancers are hard to discover, but it is a lack of public awareness and a lack of a national program for opportunistic screenings.

Oral cancer is not a rare disease. It kills one person every hour of every day in the U.S., and 100 new individuals will be diagnosed each day with oral cancer. These staggering statistics make these free events crucial, as awareness of the disease and its risk factors in the U.S. population is so low. Please don’t miss out on this opportunity for a free oral cancer screening.