Teeth whitening
Teeth Whitening in Greenwich, CT
Professional-strength whitening gel, held in trays made from your own teeth, with a dental team watching over your comfort throughout.
What it involves
Strips and pharmacy kits lighten the front surfaces a little and can leak onto the gums. Custom trays hold the gel securely against the tooth and away from soft tissue, which is why the results tend to be more even and sensitivity is reduced.
Before we whiten anything, we check what is actually causing the discoloration. Surface staining lifts easily, but an internal gray shade from an older root canal will not respond the same way and calls for a different approach entirely.
Options
In-office session, custom take-home trays, or both together
Duration
Commonly a year or two, depending on coffee, tea and red wine
Note
Crowns, veneers and fillings do not whiten — sequence matters
Patient rating
5.0 from 121 reviews
Who this is for
When we recommend it
- Coffee, tea or red wine have gradually dulled a smile that used to look brighter.
- You want a noticeable change before an event without committing to anything permanent.
- Over-the-counter strips left your teeth patchy or your gums irritated.
- You are considering veneers or bonding later and want your natural teeth as light as they will reasonably go first.
Step by step
How the treatment runs
- 01
Shade check and cause review
We look at what is actually causing the color. Surface staining lifts with whitening, while an internally grey tooth does not, so we confirm this before recommending anything.
- 02
Custom tray impressions
We take impressions of your own teeth so the trays seal the gel against enamel and away from the gums.
- 03
In-office session, if chosen
A stronger gel applied under supervision for a same-visit lift, usually paired with take-home trays for touch-ups.
- 04
Take-home course
Trays worn on a schedule at home, with a phone check-in or short visit if sensitivity comes up.
Afterwards
What to expect once you leave
Same day
Some people notice mild tingling in the teeth or gums for a few hours after a session. It is not a sign anything went wrong.
First week
Avoid coffee, tea, red wine and anything heavily pigmented for the first day or two while the enamel is most porous.
Long term
Results commonly hold for a year or two depending on diet and habits. Custom trays let you top up for a single night rather than starting the whole course again.
Whitening is quoted as either an in-office session, a take-home tray kit, or both together, and the figure is given to you before you decide which route to take.
It is cosmetic and not something dental insurance typically covers, so we treat the estimate as the number you should plan around rather than expect a claim to offset, though we check your plan regardless.
It can be paid at the time or added onto the same visit as other cosmetic work. Cards and HSA or FSA funds are accepted here as elsewhere.
Other ways to go
What we would also put in front of you
Bonding for a single dark tooth
If one tooth is discolored from old trauma or a root treatment, whitening will not touch it, and bonding or a veneer is the more honest fix.
Read moreA cleaning first
Some dullness is surface plaque and tartar rather than true staining, and a thorough cleaning alone can make a visible difference.
Read moreVeneers if shape is also a concern
Whitening only changes color. If you also dislike the shape or spacing, that is a separate conversation worth having.
Read moreWhy patients choose us for this
Trays made from your teeth
Custom trays hold gel against enamel and away from gum tissue, which is the main reason our patients get a more even result with less irritation than a pharmacy kit.
We check the cause first
Whitening does nothing for a tooth that is dark from the inside, and we would rather tell you that upfront than start a course that will not work.
Sequenced with other work
If crowns or veneers are part of a longer-term plan, we whiten first and match new porcelain to the result, not the other way around.
People come to us with
Q & A
Questions we are asked about teeth whitening
Often the initial result went further than your enamel could comfortably hold, or coffee, tea and red wine made their way back in soon after. Custom trays let you refresh the result for an evening rather than starting the whole process over.
Supervised whitening at professional concentrations does not. Problems tend to come from unsupervised, repeated use, or from gel sitting against the gums because a one-size tray does not fit properly.
Your natural teeth will lighten while the crowns will not, which can leave them mismatched. The usual approach is to whiten first, then match any new porcelain to the result you land on.
It depends on your starting shade and what is causing the discoloration. Most people move several shades lighter, but whitening cannot make a tooth whiter than its own underlying enamel allows.
Supervised whitening at a professional concentration does not damage enamel. Sensitivity, when it happens, is usually mild and temporary, and tends to come from repeated unsupervised use rather than a single course.
Commonly a year or two, shorter if you drink a lot of coffee, tea or red wine. Custom trays make it easy to refresh the result for a night rather than repeating the full course.
Your natural teeth will lighten, but the existing restorations will not, which can leave them mismatched. The usual approach is to whiten first, then decide whether the restorations need replacing to match.
Often considered alongside
Tell us what is bothering you and we will tell you what it takes to fix it.