Most people who ask about whitening have a date in mind: a wedding, a job interview, graduation photos, a retirement ceremony. Shield Dental Care offers professional whitening at our Burke office, which sits about 11 minutes from the Springfield Town Center area outside rush hour. Here we focus on the choices a Springfield patient actually has to make: whether to whiten in the chair or at home, how far ahead to start, and what to do about existing fillings and crowns. Everything else we do for local families is summarized on our Springfield, VA dentist overview.
In the chair or at home
The practice offers both. In-office whitening is completed in a single appointment. Take-home whitening uses custom trays and professional gel, worn on a schedule over several days or weeks. The ADA describes the same split: chairside bleaching usually requires only one office visit, while dentist-supervised at-home bleaching can take from a few days to a few weeks (ADA MouthHealthy: Teeth Whitening).
How to choose between them comes down to time and temperament:
- Choose in-office if the event is close, you want one known appointment, or you know you will not keep up with trays every night.
- Choose take-home trays if you have a few weeks, prefer to control the pace, or tend toward sensitivity and want to be able to pause between sessions.
- Combine them if you want a fast start and the ability to touch up later. The trays you keep can be reused for maintenance months down the line.
Our full guide to teeth whitening describes candidacy and the in-office process step by step, and the article on professional whitening versus store kits compares results with drugstore strips.
Working backward from your date
Whitening is easy to schedule badly. A realistic calendar for a Springfield patient looks like this:
- Six to eight weeks out: come in for an exam and cleaning. Surface stain is removed during a cleaning, which shows how much color is really inside the tooth, and any cavity or gum problem gets dealt with before whitening rather than after. Our teeth cleaning appointments for Springfield patients are a natural place to start.
- Four to six weeks out: begin take-home trays, or book the in-office session.
- Two weeks out: stop. Give the color a chance to settle and any sensitivity a chance to fade before photos.
Our Friday and Saturday hours, 8 AM to 2 PM, make those mornings popular for the in-office session because they leave the rest of the weekend to avoid coffee and red wine while the teeth are most prone to picking up stain.
Fillings, crowns and veneers stay the same color
This is the point that catches people out. Whitening gel lightens natural enamel, and the ADA is clear that it does not work on caps, veneers, crowns or fillings. If you have a tooth-colored filling on a front tooth, it will look darker once the teeth around it get lighter.
The fix is sequence. Whiten first, wait for the color to stabilize, and then replace any visible fillings or crowns to match the new shade. If several front teeth have chips or old restorations as well as color problems, it may make more sense to look at porcelain veneers for Springfield patients, with whitening of the remaining teeth done beforehand so the shades line up. Dr. Pejman Ghorbani will point out any restorations in your smile line at the exam, so there are no surprises after the whitening is done.
Stains that bleach poorly
Not every discoloration responds the same way. Yellowish stain from coffee, tea and age usually lightens well. Grayish or banded color that has been there since childhood sits deeper inside the tooth and often changes only partly. A single front tooth that has turned darker than its neighbors, especially after an old knock to the mouth, needs an X-ray before anyone whitens it, because the cause may be a damaged nerve rather than a stain. In those cases, whitening may be paired with other treatment, or skipped in favor of a different approach.
Sensitivity is common, and it passes
Expect some. The ADA reports that temporary tooth sensitivity and gum irritation are the most common side effects of whitening, and that transient mild to moderate sensitivity can occur in up to two-thirds of users during the early stages of treatment (ADA: Tooth Whitening). In most cases it is short-lived. Practical ways to keep it manageable:
- Brush with a toothpaste for sensitive teeth for a couple of weeks before starting.
- With trays, skip a night if teeth are tender, and do not overfill the tray.
- Avoid very cold drinks for a day or two after an in-office session.
- Call the office if sensitivity is severe or does not ease after you stop.
Paying for whitening
Whitening is cosmetic, and dental plans generally do not cover it. It is also one of the few items IRS Publication 502 names explicitly: money spent whitening teeth is excluded (IRS Publication 502). That means a health FSA, including FSAFEDS for federal employees, is not the way to pay for it, even though the same account can usually be used for cleanings and fillings. Ask the front desk for the current fee when you book. If you are comparing practices, our guide on choosing a dentist in Springfield covers what to ask.
To plan whitening around your date, book through our contact page or call (703) 250-5072. Mention the event when you call so the exam can be set early enough.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have a wedding in Springfield in three weeks. Is that enough time?+
Usually, yes, with an in-office session. Book the exam and cleaning first, then whiten, leaving about a week before the wedding for the shade to settle. Trays alone may be cutting it close if you also want time for sensitivity to fade.
Can teenagers get professional whitening?+
It depends on the teen. Whitening is generally put off until the permanent teeth are fully in and any braces or aligners are finished, because brackets and attachments leave spots the gel cannot reach. Dr. Ghorbani can advise after an exam.
Why did my teeth get lighter but now look spotty?+
Faint white spots sometimes become more noticeable for a day or two after whitening, while the enamel is dehydrated. They usually blend in as the teeth rehydrate. If spots persist, they may be early enamel changes worth having checked.
Do I have to give up coffee completely?+
No. Skip it for the first day or two after a session if you can, then drink it as usual and rinse with water afterward. A straw for iced coffee helps a little with the front teeth.
Will a whitening touch-up require another exam?+
It depends on how recently you were seen. If your last checkup was a while ago, an exam comes first to make sure nothing has changed; ask the office what your touch-up involves.