What is teeth whitening and what can it do for my smile?

We all smile. Some laugh and smile freely showing confidence and a healthy smile, while others tend to cover their mouth when they smile or just smile without showing their teeth. Often times this is due to stained or yellow teeth. Our smiles tell more about us than we think and people tend to judge us upon what they see. If we have stained teeth, others think ‘Wow, they don’t take care for their teeth’ they can’t afford dental care’; when the stained teeth is actually from coffee, tea or even smoking. Regardless if you do brush your teeth and have regular dental cleanings, the stains won’t go away with that alone. Unfortunately, in our society you have already been labeled and that person who labeled you won’t give you a second glance.

Now, of course if you are one of those confident people with a bright white smile people take notice of you, and think ‘Wow, did you see her smile?’ or ‘What a great smile you have’ and so on. Not only will you get that second look, you won’t be looked down upon or labeled as those who have stained teeth.

An option for those with dark or stained teeth is teeth whitening. Teeth whitening also known as dental bleaching is a form of cosmetic dentistry that helps to improve your smile, by whitening your teeth often times by several shades. There are various ways and products available to whiten your teeth, two of the more popular treatments that Dr. Cruz offers are laser/light and tray bleaching.

Laser/light bleaching is a two to three hour procedure that is done in the dental office with a bleaching gel that is applied to the teeth. The gel is then activated by the light.

The tray bleaching treatment is done at home, after Dr. Cruz takes impressions of the person’s teeth and adds the gel to the trays. It is advised that the treatments are done at night while the person is sleeping. For more information on these types of teeth whitening, visit or call Dr. Cruz’s office.