Start Your Year With a Boost of Whiteness to Your Smile

Having a bright, beautiful smile has a way of making you feel like you can do anything. 

Think about the last time you visited the dentist for a professional cleaning. Chances are, all the way home you felt pretty good about yourself, and made some promises that this time you’d do a better job of keeping your teeth clean and bright.

We’ve all been there. While we all want to retain that “fresh from the dentist’s office” boost of confidence, life happens, and the evidence of a life well lived tends to literally show itself on your teeth. 

We can help with that, says Dr. Meriem Boukadoum at 54th Street Dental. We’ll help you ring in the new year with a bright smile.

Why teeth get dull and stained

Let’s start with why teeth grow dull and stained. A few factors work against a bright, beautiful smile: bombardment of acidic drinks and foods, natural wear and tear from chewing, and the breakdown of tooth enamel, which lets the yellowish inner layer called dentin show through.

The good news is that there are plenty of over-the-counter and professional whitening services that can remove stains and brighten your teeth.

Dentist-directed whitening vs. over-the-counter whitening
While choices are great, they can sometimes be confusing. Figuring out what’s best for you comes down to a personal preference of where and how you’d like to get your teeth whitened, but not all whiteners are created equal.

Whitening solutions we use in professional, dentist-directed treatments — whether you do them in the dentist’s office or at home — are more potent than over-the-counter (OTC) products.

Dentist-directed whitening offered in-office or at home
When it comes to whitening services here at 54th Street Dental, we offer the best of both worlds: in-office whitening and customized take-home whitening kits for patients who prefer DIY treatment at home.

Our whitening services begin with a consultation, which includes a thorough examination and review of your oral and medical history, and we find out more about your whitening goals. Then Dr. Boukadoum recommends a treatment plan that fits best your individual needs.

One visit away from a brighter smile
Our in-office professional whitening service works well for the patient who wants to sit back and relax while we do all of the work. We turn up the volume on our patients’ smiles using the most recognizable in-office professional teeth whitening system, the Philips Zoom!® system.

 Typically, a Zoom! whitening session lasts about one hour. Here’s how it works.

Dr. Boukadoum places a protective rubber guard to shield your tongue, gums and lips, and then applies a whitening solution to your teeth. For the next 15 minutes or so, you sit back and relax while the solution begins working.

Next Dr. Boukadoum activates the whitening solution with a special laser, which dissolves the stains. She repeats these steps 3-4 times until she reaches your desired whitening goal. A Zoom! session can brighten your smile up to a remarkable eight shades whiter.

Take-home whitening kit for DIYers

Our at-home whitening kits are available in different strengths. After your consultation, Dr. Boukadoum determines the best whitening kit for your treatment goals and reviews the instructions for treatment, removing the guesswork on how long to wear your trays each day. 

The kits brighten your teeth with little to no sensitivity or discomfort. We’ve found that many of our patients notice results in as little as two weeks.

If you want to start your new year with a bright, new smile, contact 54th Street Dental today to schedule a consultation. Request an appointment using online booking or call our office in the Midtown West neighborhood of New York City at 212-333-3200.