Using a laser with a whitening gel, this is an in-office bleaching system. The translucent bleaching gel is applied to the teeth and a lasser light is used to activate the crystals to absorb the energy from the light and penetrate the teeth enamel to increase the lightening effect on the teeth.

The length of time in the cosmetic dentist's chair depends on the degree of discoloration you have.

Many dentists are getting away from using lasers for whitening since they find the heat source is much too difficult to control.

Costs can vary depending upon the area of the country you live in and the type of whitening treatment you undergo. Laser teeth whitening typically runs from $500.00 to over $1000.00 for the complete procedure.

Generally speaking, the price of teeth whitening increases with the number of in-office treatments required by the patient. Dental insurance does not typically cover the cost of the teeth whitening procedure.

CHICAGO (January 23, 2001) The Academy of General Dentistry

New findings reveal how a tooth whitening procedure - typically not an option for those children with tetracycline-stained teeth - can be effective for lightening dark, intrinsic stains, with results lasting more than four and a half years, according to the Academy of General Dentistry.

"Before this study, people with tetracycline stains were considered poor candidates for nightguard vital bleaching," explains Ralph H. Leonard Jr., DDS, MPH, who has spent more than 10 years researching this topic, also known as a common tooth whitening procedure. "Until recently, crowns, veneers or internal bleaching were patients' primary cosmetic options for alleviating stains caused by tetracycline."

Tetracycline is an antibiotic that was widely used in the past primarily to treat ear infections in children. When the drug is taken during tooth formation and development, it can cause dark, intrinsic discolorations of teeth -- staining the tooth from the inside out. The teeth may be stained various shades of yellow, gray, brown or bluish-black with horizontal bands during the time in which the drug was taken.

Minocycline, a drug in the tetracycline family, is also capable of discoloring teeth. Minocycline is widely used today to treat severe acne in adolescents. Consumers, dentists and medical doctors should be aware of the possible tooth staining effects of minocycline therapy.

Patients with tetracycline stains on the lower two-thirds of the tooth (the biting edge) may see a better cosmetic result than those that have stains on the upper third of the tooth, near the gum line.

Tooth bleaching is the whitening method used to treat tetracycline stains. Stains can be lightened in many cases with extended treatment time and with minimal side effects. "Most commonly reported side effects are tooth sensitivity and gum irritation; both disappear soon after completion of the whitening," says Dr. Leonard.

Patients are fitted with custom mouth tray for application of the whitening gel. The patient will place the gel in the tray and wear the tray for four to eight hours a day or at night until a desirable cosmetic results is obtained. In many cases, it may be four to eight weeks for the desired effect to occur, but it could take six or more to obtain the result, due to extensive staining.

"This whitening method shows that tetracycline-stained teeth can be whitened successfully," reports Dr. Leonard. "Patients who participated in the study were overwhelmingly positive about the results, were glad they had participated in the study and would recommend the procedure to others."

The Academy of General Dentistry is a non-profit organization of more than 37,000 general dentists dedicated to staying up-to-date in the profession through continuing education. A general dentist is the primary care provider for patients of all ages and is responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, management and overall coordination of services related to patient's oral health needs.

Professional teeth whitening can lighten teeth which have porcelain veneers. Veneers are translucent shells of porcelain which have been bonded onto the front side of a person's teeth.

While the tooth bleaching agent will not change the color of the veneer itself it will be able to permeate the tooth from the backside, thus lightening the tooth structure which lies under the veneer. Because veneers are translucent, the net effect can be that the tooth, from the front side, appears whiter.

The professional bleaching processes will not make a color change in the dental work you have already had done but can remove discoloration from staining. This includes restorations such as: white fillings, bonding, crowns, and bridges. In most cases, a person's teeth should be whitened first and then afterwards their dental work done to match the new shade of their teeth.

If your natural teeth have darkened more than a crown, professional teeth whitening can be used to lighten the crowned tooth's neighboring natural teeth back to a shade which more closely matches the crowned tooth's porcelain. The color match obtained by the bleaching process is not always exact, but it can be a significant improvement.

Some persons have gum recession on one or more teeth. Usually the root surface which becomes visible as gums recede has an appearance which is somewhat darker than the rest of the tooth. This is because root surfaces are not covered by enamel but are instead composed of another naturally darker material called "dentin".

The professional teeth whitening method won't effectively lighten dentin. This means that the color of the root portion of the tooth (which shows where the gum recession has occurred) will not change noticeably as a result of your bleaching efforts.