cosmetic dentistry
Teeth whitening that starts with why they darkened.
Teeth darken for different reasons — coffee and tea on the surface, aging changes deeper in the tooth, an old root canal from the inside — and the reason determines what whitening can do. That diagnosis, more than any product name, is what separates professional whitening from a drugstore box.
Dentist-supervised whitening uses stronger agents than anything sold over the counter, fitted and dosed to your teeth, with sensitivity managed instead of endured. Your options and their costs are laid out at a consult; the right one depends on your timeline and your enamel.
The honest comparison with drugstore strips
Strips work, modestly — they're real peroxide at low strength on a one-size strip. For a slightly dulled smile they may be all you need, and we'll tell you so. Professional treatment earns its cost when you want several shades, an even result across crowded teeth, or a deadline like a wedding on the calendar.
The other difference is supervision: checking that darkening isn't a cavity or a dying tooth wearing a stain costume, managing sensitivity properly, and matching expectations to what your particular enamel will actually do.
What whitening can't do
Peroxide doesn't touch porcelain, resin, or crowns — existing dental work keeps its shade, which matters for sequencing: whiten first, then match any new work to the result. It also can't lighten certain deep discolorations, where a veneer or bonding is the truthful answer.
Results last months to a few years depending on coffee, tea, wine, and tobacco. Touch-ups are simple once you have fitted trays — maintenance, not a do-over.
In-office whitening: Zoom
For patients who want the fastest route, our in-office option is Zoom — a professional whitening system that pairs a formulated hydrogen-peroxide gel with an LED light that accelerates it. The whole appointment runs about an hour, and teeth leave dramatically lighter than they arrived.
In-office whitening also comes with something the drugstore box cannot offer: a dentist checking your enamel and existing dental work first, so the result is even and the sensitivity is managed rather than discovered.
Questions we hear in the chair
- Will whitening make my teeth sensitive?
- Some people feel temporary sensitivity during treatment; it fades after. Supervised whitening manages it with dosing, spacing, and desensitizing treatment — tell us if you're sensitivity-prone and the plan accounts for it from the start.
- How white will my teeth get?
- It depends on the cause of the darkening and your starting shade — surface stain lifts dramatically, deep age-related change moves more modestly. You'll get a realistic projection at the consult, not a stock-photo promise.
- Is whitening safe for enamel?
- Dentist-supervised whitening at proper concentrations doesn't damage enamel — decades of use back that up. The risks worth respecting are overuse of unsupervised products and whitening over undiagnosed decay, which is exactly what the exam rules out.
- How long does whitening last?
- Months to a few years, set mostly by habits. Fitted trays make touch-ups easy and cheap; many patients do a night or two before big occasions and call it maintenance.
Clinical content reviewed by Dr. Marissa DeAngelis, Senior Dentist.
Serving Crozet for 50+ years. At least two full-time doctors in the building, Monday through Friday.