Professional whitening lifts the colour of your natural teeth using a stronger gel than anything sold over the counter, applied in a way that protects your gums. It works well on most people. It does nothing at all to crowns, veneers or fillings, and that is the single most useful thing to know before you start.
We are at 115 Christopher Columbus Drive, Suite 200, two minutes from the Grove Street PATH. Call 201-425-8600 or request an appointment.
Why teeth go darker
Two different things happen, and they respond very differently to whitening.
Surface staining comes from coffee, tea, red wine, dark fruit, curry and tobacco settling into the outer layer. This is what whitening removes easily, and what a professional clean removes some of before you even whiten.
Deeper colour change is in the tooth itself. Enamel thins with age and the yellower layer beneath shows through more. Some antibiotics taken in childhood, particularly tetracycline, leave grey or banded marks. A tooth that took a heavy knock can darken from the inside.
Whitening improves most of these but does not erase them. Tetracycline staining in particular responds slowly and incompletely. If that is what you have, veneers may be the realistic route, and we would rather tell you at the start than after you have paid for treatment that disappoints.
The options
In the chair
A strong gel is applied with your gums carefully shielded, usually across a session of about an hour. You see a change the same day, which is why people choose it before a wedding or an event. It costs the most and sensitivity afterwards tends to be sharper, though short-lived.
Custom trays at home
We take an impression and make thin trays moulded to your teeth. You wear them with a milder gel, typically for a set period each day over two or three weeks.
For most people this is the better buy. The result is at least as good, the gradual approach causes less sensitivity, and you keep the trays. Topping up in two years costs only a tube of gel rather than a new course of treatment.
Shop-bought strips and kits
They do something. The gel is weaker and the strip does not fit your teeth, so it works more slowly and reaches the edges and gaps unevenly. For mild surface staining on even front teeth they are a reasonable, cheap option.
What we would avoid: charcoal pastes and DIY mixtures involving baking soda or lemon juice. They do not whiten in any meaningful way, and the abrasive and acidic ones strip enamel, which makes teeth look more yellow over time because more of the darker layer underneath shows through. That damage does not come back.
What whitening will not touch
This catches people out often enough that it deserves its own heading. Whitening gel has no effect on any man-made surface. Crowns, veneers, bridges, implant crowns and white fillings stay exactly the colour they are.
So if you have a white filling in a front tooth, or a crown on one, whitening the teeth around it will make that restoration stand out, sometimes considerably.
That is not a reason not to whiten. It is a reason to plan the order: whiten first, wait a couple of weeks for the shade to settle, and then replace the visible restorations to match the new colour. Doing it the other way round means paying for the crown twice.
Sensitivity, which is common and temporary
Most people get some. It shows up as short zings with cold air or cold drinks, during treatment and for a day or two after. It is not damaging the teeth and it goes away.
Things that help, if it bothers you: use a sensitive toothpaste for a fortnight beforehand, shorten each session rather than pushing through, take a day off between applications, and avoid very cold drinks while you are treating. Tell us if it is severe; we adjust the strength or the schedule rather than telling you to persevere.
Before we whiten anything
We check first, which is the real difference from buying a kit online. A tooth that is darkening because the nerve inside has died needs root canal treatment, not bleach. Decay or gum disease must be dealt with first, because gel on an exposed root or into a cavity hurts a great deal and achieves nothing.
A clean beforehand also matters. Whitening a layer of hardened deposit gives you a patchy result, and quite a lot of what people want removed comes off with the clean anyway.
How long it lasts
Usually one to three years, and it depends almost entirely on what you drink and whether you smoke. A daily coffee habit will pull the shade back sooner.
A practical habit: drink coffee, tea and red wine in a sitting rather than sipping across the whole morning, and rinse with water afterwards. Do not brush immediately after anything acidic — wait half an hour, because enamel is softened and brushing straight away wears it.
With home trays a top-up of a night or two once or twice a year keeps the shade steady indefinitely.
Is it safe
The active ingredients have been used in dentistry for decades and are well studied. Used properly, whitening does not soften or damage enamel.
The risks come from misuse: ill-fitting trays that leak gel onto the gums, excessive concentrations, or treating over untreated decay. That is precisely what supervision prevents. We do not whiten during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and we do not whiten children’s teeth, which are still developing.
Insurance
Dental insurance does not cover whitening. It is cosmetic, and that is true of essentially every plan, so treat a quote as what you will pay. Your check-up and clean beforehand may well be covered. See the insurance and payment page.
Who does the work
Dr. Singal earned her Doctorate in Dental Surgery at the New York University College of Dentistry. More about the practice.
We see patients from across downtown Jersey City, including Grove Street, Exchange Place, Newport and Van Vorst Park.
How much does teeth whitening cost?
In-chair whitening costs more than custom take-home trays, and both cost considerably more than shop-bought strips. Insurance does not cover whitening because it is cosmetic, so a quote is what you will pay. Take-home trays are usually the better value, since topping up later costs only a tube of gel.
Does whitening damage your teeth?
Used properly it does not soften or damage enamel. The active ingredients have been used in dentistry for decades. The risk comes from misuse, such as badly fitting trays leaking gel onto the gums or whitening over untreated decay, which is what supervision prevents.
Why are my teeth sensitive afterwards?
Most people get short zings with cold air or drinks during treatment and for a day or two after. It is common, temporary and not damaging. Using a sensitive toothpaste for a fortnight beforehand, shortening sessions and taking a day off between applications all help.
Will whitening work on my crowns and fillings?
No. Gel has no effect on any man-made surface, so crowns, veneers, bridges and white fillings stay exactly the colour they are. If you have visible restorations, whiten first, let the shade settle for a couple of weeks, then replace them to match the new colour.
How long do the results last?
Usually one to three years, depending mostly on coffee, tea, red wine and smoking. With custom trays, topping up for a night or two once or twice a year keeps the shade steady indefinitely.
Is in-chair whitening better than take-home trays?
It is faster, not necessarily better. In-chair gives a visible change the same day, which suits an event. Take-home trays reach at least as good a result more gradually, usually with less sensitivity, and you keep the trays for future top-ups.
Do whitening toothpastes and charcoal work?
Whitening toothpastes remove some surface staining but cannot change the underlying shade. Charcoal pastes and homemade mixtures with baking soda or lemon juice are worth avoiding, as the abrasive and acidic ones wear enamel away, which makes teeth look yellower over time because more of the darker layer beneath shows through.
Why is one of my teeth darker than the rest?
A single dark tooth often means the nerve inside has died, usually after a knock, sometimes years earlier. That needs root canal treatment rather than whitening, and it can then be lightened from the inside. It is worth having looked at rather than trying to bleach away.