Teeth Whitening

Are your teeth not exactly pearly white, or not even close?

Perhaps the number one complaint that we hear from patients who are unhappy with their smile is that they don’t like the color of their teeth. Multiple factors cause teeth to become dull and lose their bright, white sparkle. Additionally, plaque buildup on your teeth can cause them to look yellow. This type of discoloration can usually be treated with regular cleaning and whitening remedies.

Tooth discoloration often has to do with our behavior. That’s because many things we do can stain our tooth enamel such as bad oral hygiene or our eating habits. The things we consume like tea, coffee, wine, berries, and, the number one culprit, tobacco, can cause stains and discoloration over time. That explains why over-the-counter teeth whitening product sales accounted for over $13 billion dollars in 2019.

If you haven’t had much luck with over-the-counter whitening strips and whitening toothpaste, you’re in luck. Now there’s an in-office whitening system that will brighten your smile in under an hour! A quick visit to our dental office is all it takes.

Introducing the GLO teeth whitening system

The GLO teeth whitening system is the only system that uses patented warming heat and LED light (known as Guided Light Optics technology) for faster whitening results without mouth sensitivity. This system has gained wide popularity because it’s quick, painless, and achieves superb results in just one office visit.

There are two components to the GLO tooth whitening process

The GLO treatment is performed initially at our office and you are sent home with a home kit to perform periodic maintenance whitening treatments to keep your smile bright.

The GLO Professional Whitening system features a special mouthpiece that uses warm heat and safe LED light to activate specially formulated 30% hydrogen peroxide whitening gel. GLO also offers a 24% strength whitening gel for young patients or those prone to sensitivity. Most patients who undergo a GLO professional whitening get lasting results without dehydrating their teeth or experiencing gum sensitivity.

GLO patients like it because the treatment doesn’t involve messy trays and the entire professional treatment can be done with minimal chair time. In fact, patients undergo three to four 8-minute light treatments at once, so they’re done in well under an hour and leave our office with their ideal tooth color.

Patients are sent home with the LED mouthpiece used during their treatment, as well as additional treatment gel with a home-use dosage strength. So they can do touch-up treatments at home to maintain their white smile.

What happens during a GLO tooth whitening in-office treatment?

The GLO treatment process takes place in 6 simple steps:

1. Color selection – After discussing your treatment goals, you and your dental professional review a palette of tooth enamel color samples to select the ideal shade for you.
2. Tooth preparation – Your teeth are gently buffed to remove plaque and superficial stains prior to starting your whitening treatment.
3. Gum preparation – Your gums are coated with a protective gel barrier to minimize any sensitivity related to exposure to hydrogen peroxide-based whitening agent.
4. Gel application – A professional-grade hydrogen peroxide gel is painted on your tooth surface. The concentration of peroxide administered will depend on your starting level of discoloration and your desired tooth shade.
5. Light administration – A special mouthpiece fitted with tiny LED lights is placed in your mouth and, once turned on, will activate the peroxide gel to whiten your teeth using warmth and ultraviolet light. Your light exposure will last eight minutes.
6. Repeat steps #4 and #5 up to three times – Depending on your starting point, color goal, and treatment tolerance, the gel and light activation will be repeated up to three more times until your desired tooth color is reached. So, worst-case scenario, you will be under the light a maximum of 32 minutes total and out of our office with a much brighter smile in under an hour!

Is teeth whitening with GLO safe?

GLO whitening uses patented delivery systems designed to keep the whitening gel from migrating onto the soft tissue, which prevents sensitivity. When used as directed, research studies have concluded that peroxide-containing whitening products are completely safe for tooth enamel.

What’s more, the GLO system is FDA-registered, the gel is vegan, gluten/latex/cruelty-free, and made in the USA.

How long does GLO teeth whitening last?

Results may vary depending upon the amount of discoloration caused by foods and liquids you consume. So, depending on your eating habits, you may need to re-whiten once every year or two or as soon as after six months. It depends on your habits.

GLO Vial whitening gel for home use will remain fresh and active for 24 months when unopened. After opening a GLO Vial, the gel will stay fresh for seven days (as long as you snap the cap back on after each use).

Does LED whitening damage your teeth?

When combined with carbamide peroxide-based whitening agents, LED light has been shown to be a powerful catalyst for speeding up teeth whitening. It should be noted that it is possible to overdo teeth whitening, which can result in damaging the enamel of your teeth if done too often.

That’s why we recommend no more than two professional in-office GLO treatments per year.

Are there any post-whitening instructions to maintain my bright teeth?

Yes, there are and they are very simple to follow:

• Avoid eating or drinking anything that can stain a white t-shirt for 48 hours after whitening
• Continue whitening at home with the GLO Science Professional Take-Home Kit to stabilize and maintain your in-office results
• In the rare event of mild post-treatment sensitivity:
  • Brush using a toothpaste designed for sensitive teeth
  • Take an over-the-counter analgesic (only if recommended by your doctor)
  • Apply GLO Lip Care to any sensitive gum areas

Why trust MD Perio for your cosmetic dentistry?

With over 20 years of experience, the dental care providers at MD Perio are uniquely qualified to perform a full range of cosmetic dental procedures including teeth whitening. If you are unhappy with your smile and would like to explore the available options for acquiring the beautiful smile you desire, give us a call.

To schedule an appointment with our smile design experts, click here or call (855) 245-1100.

At MD Periodontics, we take our patients’ safety seriously. Our facility’s Covid-19 patient safety procedures exceed all CDC recommendations. Masks are required in our institutes at all times.

We are conveniently located to patients throughout Southern California and the Los Angeles area. Our Beverly Hills office is conveniently located near West Los Angeles, Culver City, West Hollywood, Downtown Los Angeles, Marina del Rey, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Sherman Oaks, and Encino.