teeth whitening FAQs

Our bleach is stronger than anything that can be sold over-the-counter or sold in at-home treatments. The teeth whitening gel we use for our in-office teeth whitening treatments is custom-made and compounded in a pharmacy, formulated to be strong enough to get amazing results without the sensitivity

• Our Smile Pop Premium White teeth bleaching service has two (2) applications of our special formulated teeth bleaching gel applied under our laser light accelerator for a total of 30 minutes.

• Our Smile Pop VIP White teeth bleaching service has four (4) applications of our special formulated teeth bleaching gel applied under our laser light accelerator for a total of 60 minutes. This 60 minute experience is our biggest boost of white and is purposefully designed for deep relaxation, having options of aromatherapy, sound meditation, and more.

Our Smile Pop Premium White in-office teeth bleaching is $325 for 30 minutes. Our Smile Pop VIP White in-office teeth bleaching is $525 for 60 minutes. 

Patients can expect to see a brighter smile immediately after an in-office treatment, a difference of up to 8 shades. However, severe stains may take longer and multiple treatments to fully resolve. To maintain results, we recommend to continue whitening at home a couple days per week using our Smile Pop teeth whitening product line.

You’ll want to treat your teeth like a white T-shirt for the next 48 hours after an in-office teeth whitening as your teeth are most susceptible to picking up staining. To maintain your desired teeth whiteness, we recommend our at-home teeth whitening products at least two times per week.

At Smile Pop, we use the VITA Bleachedguide 3D-MASTER shade guide and assess the three parameters of  tooth color: brightness (value), chroma (saturation) and hue (color). The VITA Bleachedguide 3D-MASTER is the globally recognized standard for shade level assessment and is therefore recommended for every dental professional.

If you start whitening your teeth at home about 10 days prior to an in-office treatment, you’ll start to open the pores of your teeth and allow our stronger bleach to penetrate even deeper into the stains of your teeth. This will allow light to reflect even brighter and give the appearance of whiter teeth.

Also, while not always needed, if you can coordinate a teeth cleaning prior to the in-office teeth whitening treatment, you’ll allow the bleach to penetrate the pores of the teeth deeper, too. 

You can eat right away, but we recommend avoiding dark-staining foods and drinks for 48 hours after an in-office teeth whitening treatment as your teeth are most susceptible to picking up staining while the pores of the teeth are open. It takes about 48 hours for those pores to seal and be less susceptible to staining.

At Smile Pop, we use an effective, low sensitivity concentration of bleach to minimize any sensitivity. While rare with our treatment, mild sensitivity to hot or cold liquids may occur and usually resolves within 1-2 days. If sensitivity persists, take two anti-inflammatory medicines like Advil (200 mg) with a pain reducing acetaminophen medicine like Tylenol (500 mg). 

Zoom whitening treatments dehydrate your teeth, thus causing a lot of sensitivity. Our Smile Pop bleach  is custom-made and compounded in a pharmacy, formulated to be strong enough to get amazing results without the sensitivity.

A Smile Pop, we use an effective, low-sensitivity teeth bleaching formula to minimize dehydration of the teeth (which is what contributes to the sensitivity). The bleach is also hand painted onto each individual tooth to minimize gum irritation.

Whitening does not work on all teeth as some teeth may be discolored for a variety of reasons – some in your control and others as a result of injury or illness. Therefore, it’s important to check with your doctor to determine the right procedure for your teeth. For example, yellowed teeth typically bleach well while brown teeth may not respond as well and teeth with gray tones may not bleach at all. 

Teeth that are dark gray due to tetracycline staining will not whiten. See an example picture of tetracycline stained teeth below:

Some people have white spot lesions on their teeth called “decalcifications.” These white spots will initially stand out and be very prominent after a after a bleaching treatment. This will normalize in about 48 hours after the treatment. See an example picture of white spot lesions below:

Patients can expect to see a brighter smile immediately after an in-office treatment, a difference of up to 8 shades. However, severe stains may take longer and multiple treatments to fully resolve.  You can continue to whiten at home after an in-office treatment to raise your baseline white even more – consider using these teeth whitening products.

White spot lesions, known as decalcifications, are areas of tooth enamel where the minerals are lacking. Because the composition of the enamel is different than other areas of your teeth, these white spot lesions will not whiten the same. 

Typically after a whitening treatment, these white spots will initially really stand out and be very prominent until they normalize with your saliva about 48 hours after the treatment. See an example picture of white spot lesions below:

To try get rid of white spot lesions, you need to whiten your teeth like crazy to raise your baseline white and then have your general dentist do a procedure called “ICON Resin Infiltration” to cover them. A more invasion alternative is to cover them with dental veneers or bondings.

Whitening does not work the same on dental appliances like caps, veneers, crowns, or fillings, however the whitening gel will break down some surface staining. It’s highly likely that bleaching your teeth will not be effective if the primary cause for discoloration is medication or trauma.

Whitening does not work the same on dental appliances like caps, veneers, crowns, or fillings, however the whitening gel will break down some surface staining. It’s highly likely that bleaching your teeth will not be effective if the primary cause for discoloration is medication or trauma.

Patients can expect to see a brighter smile immediately after one in-office treatment, a difference of up to 8 shades. To get our biggest boost of white, we recommend the Smile Pop VIP White service for 60 minutes.

BONUS TIP: If you start whitening your teeth at home about 10 days prior to an in-office treatment, you’ll start to open the pores of your teeth and allow our in-office bleach to penetrate even deeper into the stains of your teeth. This will allow light to reflect even brighter and give the appearance of whiter teeth. You can use a product like this.

Also, while not always needed, if you can coordinate a teeth cleaning prior to the in-office teeth whitening treatment, you’ll allow the bleach to penetrate the pores of the teeth deeper, too. 

Our 30 minute Smile Pop Premium White treatment includes two (2) applications of bleaching gel under our laser light. Our 60 minute Smile Pop VIP White treatment includes four (4) applications of bleaching gel under our laser light.

We recommended waiting 48 hours before using an at-home teeth whitening product to help maintain the result. You can get an in-office teeth whitening every month. Dr. Courtney recommends getting a treatment before an important life event, milestone, or vacation. When you LOOK good, you FEEL good!

Yes, we use a laser light for both our 30 minute and 60 minute in-office teeth whitening treatments.

Insurance does not typically cover teeth whitening services, however you can use your FSA (flex spending accounts) or HSA (health savings accounts) on it. 

Cleaner teeth respond better to teeth whitening as it allows the bleaching gel to better penetrate the pores of the teeth. We say go for it!

In-office teeth whitening bleaches are much stronger than the take-home products because they have more peroxide in the solution. In-office teeth whitening treatments can change the color of your teeth faster than the at-home products. 

We recommend doing an in-office teeth whitening 10 days before the big day and continue at-home treatments leading up to the big day.

We recommend doing an in-office treatment 10 days before your dental restorations to make sure your teeth have whitened enough. This way, your dentist can get the best, most natural color match. 

We recommend holding off on our in-office teeth bleaching treatments until those attachments are all off. Instead, we recommend using our Smile Pop Premium Teeth Whitening Gel Syringes 1-2 times per week to improve your whiteness.