How many shades will I improve?

Tooth whitening is not predictable because everyone's teeth are so individual, and because different dentists use different shade guides.   People with yellow-tinted teeth tend to have better results than people with gray-tinted teeth.  If you have a line across your teeth from childhood metal or antibiotic exposure, whitening may not completely resolve the problem; veneers may be necessary.

How white can I get it?

We generally recommend that you whiten your teeth no more than the whites of your eyes.  We feel that rule-of-thumb gives a natural, healthy look.  Your teeth should not enter the room before you do.  On the Vita Classic scale, we usually do not encourage anything beyond shade B1.  We have recently purchased a new bleaching shade scale for a few of our more "ambitious" whitening patients.  These 3 additional shades do not exist in nature, but are sought after by many patients.

How long does the new color last?

The faster it gets whiter, the faster it reverts.  Take home, two week treatments are best.  Just like getting a tan or losing weight, the slower you go, the longer it lasts and the safer it is.  As a bonus, you can use much lower strength gels, which decrease your risk of sensitivity and provide a longer lasting result. 

One hour treatments are known for their rapid whitening, but also for moderate to severe tooth sensitivity and rapid rebound.  I call this "bungie bleach" because of the marked bounce back in whiteness. 

If you need immediate results, then the best way to go is to do one hour bleaching followed by over night treatments.  This will cost more than take home whitening, and will not necessarily give better results, just a faster one.