Teeth Whitening Best Done By Professional
By Justin J. Miller

It's safe, it's long-lasting, it's reasonable, and it works. If you are looking to whiten your teeth, you couldn't ask for anything more. Dr. Robert Luther, Jr. speaks highly about the easy-to-use take-home tray whitening system available from his office for patients who want to brighten their smile. Dr. Luther designs the tray, which is clear, thin, and flexible, and is "almost like a skin that fits over your teeth. It's very comfortable."

At home, the patient squirts a little whitening gel into the tray for each tooth, then fits the tray over the teeth. "It fits snugly, like a mouth guard," Dr. Luther said, "and you wear it for about an hour a day. It's so easy, some of my patients use their trays during their morning routine, while they're drying their hair. In the course of two weeks or so, your teeth will lighten several shades, and it gives wonderful results.

The idea is similar to products seen on television, but what is different is vital. "There can be problems with those," Dr. Luther warned. "First of all, they're not supervised; and second, you're not going to get the proper fit with the tray that you're going to get with a custom-made tray. And that's the key—the gel spreads over your teeth when you place the tray in your mouth, and for that to happen, the tray has to fit extremely accurately."

People decide for themselves how white they want their teeth to be. "They can choose when to stop," he said. "If somebody just wants to use two tubes (of the whitening gel), they can stop after they've done it for a week. Or if they want to make their teeth whiter, they can go for weeks or months. That's at the discretion of the patient."

Dr. Luther said that whereas his office whitening system will last for two or three years, the over-the-counter products aren't that effective. "They don't have the same endurability. The whitening strips will whiten your teeth to some extent, but they only last six months. So in the long run you'll pay more because you have to keep buying the system over and over."

He said, "We tell people when they come in for their checkup that they can get an extra tube of whitening gel. They keep their tray, so they can do a touch-up. You can think of it as permanent (whitening) if you do your maintenance."

Dr. Luther added that the age restriction is minimal. "It's for anybody 12 and over. I've whitened teeth for people who are in their 80s. People are living longer and their quality of life is very vibrant, and they want to look good. It works for everybody."

For more information, call (412) 788-6300 or visit www.pittsburghlaserdentist.com

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