A Safe and Effective Way to Brighten Your Smile

According to a recent study, 80% of Americans want whiter teeth—and for good reason.

The benefits of white teeth extend beyond an improved appearance to include increased confidence and friendliness. After all, if your teeth are white, you’ll want to show off your smile.

KöR Whitening is among the most effective whitening systems available. Read on to learn more about how it can help you rediscover your smile.

What Are My Tooth Whitening Options?

The natural color of your teeth depends on pigments in the dentin and enamel. Over time, stains introduced by food, drink, smoking, and other factors can mar the natural whiteness of your teeth.

If your teeth are lightly stained at only the surface level, whitening toothpaste may produce some improvement in appearance. For the most stubborn surface stains and stains that have penetrated microcracks in the enamel and dentin, you have four options:

• Professionally applied whitening systems, including KöR Max, Ultra, and Ultra-T
• Dentist-prescribed and dispensed systems for home use, including KöR Home
• Commercially available, over-the-counter systems
• Home remedies

As you explore your options, it’s important to compare their relative safety and effectiveness.

Home Remedies

Home remedies are worth mentioning first because they seem convenient. Their convenience draws many patients in. Why invest in a whitening system from your dentist or even an over-the-counter whitening system when you have ingredients in your home that could make your teeth whiter? In fact, there is good reason to make this investment and avoid at-home measures.

Home remedies for whiter teeth often use the following materials:

• Baking soda
• Apple cider vinegar
• Lemon juice
• Activated charcoal

While baking soda is relatively safe, it will—like whitening toothpaste—remove only light surface stains.

Apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and activated charcoal, in contrast, are downright dangerous. Even when diluted with water and used in small amounts for short periods of time, these materials can damage your teeth. Using acidic or abrasive home remedies can wear down your teeth’s structure and hardness.

This damage is not only dangerous. It can also be counterproductive to your whitening efforts. As these materials erode your teeth’s enamel, more of the underlying dentin will appear. Naturally yellow in color, the dentin’s appearance will mar, not enhance, the whiteness of your smile.

Commercially Available, Over-the-Counter Whitening Systems

OTC whitening systems use peroxide solutions. These come most often in the form of gels, rinses, and strips. The safety and effectiveness of these products vary widely.

One reason for this variety stems from the more limited regulations the commercial whitening industry faces. OTC whitening systems are classified as “cosmetic” products, rather than drugs or medical devices. While they are “regulated,” they face more limited regulations than medical products.

Often consumers are reassured by these limited regulations and unwittingly purchase products that do more harm than good. In fact, OTC whitening systems have the potential to damage the teeth and gums.

Professional Whitening Products Available Through Your Dentist

Professional whitening systems use hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide gels to remove the most stubborn stains. They are also powerful enough to safely reach stains below the surface level of your teeth.

The water, hydrogen, and radicals in peroxide act as bleaching factors to lighten teeth.

To be effective, these gels must do the following:

• Be sufficiently strong
• Activate a sufficient number of free radicals to break the bonds that hold stains together
• Have sufficient time to work

While other systems fall short, KöR whitening systems meet these three conditions. KöR products are available for use at home or in the dentist’s office.

Dentist Prescribed and Dispensed Systems for Home Use

If you choose a do-it-yourself whitening system, your safest option is always to purchase an at-home system from your dentist. He or she will have reviewed products, regulations, and existing research and offer only the most effective and safest options.

These include the KöR home system, which offers daytime and nighttime whitening options. Your family dentist can advise you on how to use these products for maximum effect.

With your dentist’s advice, you’ll understand KöR whitening instructions. You’ll know how to store KöR gels to maintain their potency. You’ll also know how to insert the trays into your mouth. Doing so is essential to ensure that the patented KöR-Seal technology protects the whitening agents from saliva contamination.

With your dentist’s help, you’ll also be able to choose the product that is best for your needs. Nighttime whitening products are stronger and more effective. However, they are not for everyone. Individuals with especially sensitive teeth may opt for KöR-Day treatments.

As you discuss your options, your dentist can, finally, help you decide if the condition of your teeth and your whitening goals require additional in-office interventions.

Professionally Applied Whitening Systems

Many professionally applied systems for whiter teeth combine in-office treatments with at-home maintenance. The KöR system does precisely that. Three KöR Whitening systems begin with in-office treatments and continue at home.

KöR Max is among the most popular of these options. With KöR Max, you can expect one in-office treatment with the most potent whitening gel. You’ll follow this in-office treatment with two weeks of KöR-Night treatments at home and periodic maintenance.

For patients with more stubborn stains, including those due to childhood exposure to fluoride, KöR Ultra may offer better results. The KöR Ultra process begins and ends with an in-office treatment. Between these visits, you’ll use KöR-Night for three to four weeks at home.

The most stubborn tooth stains can result from exposure to the antibiotic tetracycline. At one time, these stains were thought to be irreversible. Extending KöR-Night treatments for six to eight weeks, however, KöR Ultra-T offers hope to patients with tetracycline staining.

The Advantages of KöR Whitening

While other whitening options are available, KöR Whitening offers distinct advantages. These advantages make it among the safest and most effective options.

First, KöR Whitening is the only company to ensure that their gels are refrigerated from manufacturing to their arrival at your dentist’s office. Maintaining this constant temperature is essential to maintaining the product’s integrity.

In fact, whitening products rely on unstable chemicals. This means that they react quickly to changes in the environment, including temperature. This reactivity is precisely how whitening agents work.

To produce the intended effect, however, these reactions need to happen in your mouth. If they happen—or begin to happen—during shipping, the product’s quality degrades. As a result, its effects to make your teeth whiter are diminished.

You can count on KöR teeth whitening to maintain refrigeration throughout production and shipping, and you can count on the Farless Dental Group to maintain refrigeration in the office.

KöR-Seal trays produce another significant advantage of the KöR system. Besides temperature, saliva contamination can also degrade product quality. KöR-Seal trays are designed to prevent this contamination. This means that KöR Whitening gels remain at full potency for the full treatment time.

Making Your Smile As Bright As the Smiles You Share with Others

You bring so many smiles to so many people in your life. Your smile deserves the same care you give them.

KöR Whitening can help you care for your smile. The Farless Dental Group can help you choose from among your KöR options. If you decide to take your cosmetic dental treatments further, they can also help you explore other treatments, including CEREC crowns.

Whatever your needs, we’re here to help. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.