teeth whitening

Get A Whiter Smile In Indiana This Summer

By on June 20, 2016

Hello and welcome to the Really Smile blog!

It is hard to believe that we are most of the way through June already! What a great time to live in Indiana!

It can be a rough season, however, if your yellow or stained teeth are giving you the summertime blues. Trust us, we know how embarrassing that can be. But before you cancel your backyard BBQ, or skip out on the family reunion, let us see what we can do to brighten your outlook!

If your dark or discolored teeth are making you feel self-conscious and hesitant to smile, in all likelihood, our team can help you. We want you to have whiter, brighter teeth for all your summer special occasions. And we can make it happen through our professional teeth whitening program.

Keep reading today’s post to hear all about the possibilities, and then be sure to follow up to arrange for your teeth whitening appointment in our Carmel-area office!

Fast, Safe And Effective Teeth Whitening

The bad news is that just getting older can have an adverse effect on your smile. So too can all that coffee, tea, soda, tobacco, red wine, chocolate, etc. that is consumed by millions of Hoosiers each year. It seems as though you just can’t escape the inevitable decline of your formerly pearly whites.

But don’t let it bring you down. You aren’t alone. And there is a way out of it that doesn’t require you to give up on life’s simple pleasures.

The good news is that no matter how bad your situation has become, we can make it better fast with a professional teeth whitening treatment. That is where you come into our office, let us assess the extent of your problems, and figure out the best solution.

It should be noted that you may need more than one visit, depending on the current condition of your teeth and the kind of stains or discoloration that need to be addressed. One way or another, a good action plan will be put into place.

You will be in good hands, too, since Dr. Smith will be personally guiding the procedure all the way through. You see, unlike those anonymously mass produced DIY kits they sell at the grocery, when you let the dentist handle your whitening, you will get a personalized treatment plan, professional-grade materials, trays that are designed to fit YOUR mouth, and the years of experience that makes it a safe and effective enough procedure to produce the results you are hoping for without damaging your gums and soft tissues. Plus, there is a certain amount of accountability that does not come with those store-bought kits. Your smile is too important to trust to a non-professional (including yourself)!

Get Started Today!

If you want to salvage your summer social life, you might want to get started today. To take the next step towards a better smile, all you have to do is contact us online or call the Really Smile office at 317-451-4050. We can’t wait to get you smiling again!

Can You Really “Hack” Your Way To A Whiter Smile?

By on May 1, 2016

Spend much time on the internet and you’re probably going to find some reference to “lifehacking.” This phenomenon stems from the idea that much of what we do has become too complicated, and that there are simple solutions available that can save time, money, and effort.

In some cases these “hacks” are true. In other cases they’re questionable at best, such as with several popular teeth whitening hacks that can be easily found online.

At Really Smile Dentistry we want you to get the smile you’ve always dreamed of. In many cases that means you’ll need professional whitening treatment, like the kind we offer at our Carmel office. Take a look at these whitening tricks for yourself, but don’t expect to get the results you’ve always wanted from them!

Peroxide And Baking Soda: Can It Whiten Teeth?

If you’ve spent any time looking into ways to whiten your teeth you’ve probably noticed that hydrogen peroxide is the best way to do it. But don’t assume that brushing your teeth with a mixture of that and baking soda will be enough to whiten your teeth – it simply isn’t!

The hydrogen peroxide gels that are used to whiten your teeth are far stronger than the stuff in that brown bottle. On top of that you won’t even have time to whiten with it – saliva neutralizes hydrogen peroxide really fast!

Baking soda, on the other hand, has been reported to have at least some minimal bleaching effect. Using it repeatedly can actually damage your enamel though, so we advise against trying to whiten your teeth with it. Leave it as a last resort for the days you run out of toothpaste instead.

Mysterious Ancient Medicine: Can It Bleach Your Smile?

In the ancient Ayurvedic medicine system there’s a practice known as oil pulling. It involves using a natural oil, like coconut oil, to clean your mouth by swishing it. After ten to twenty minutes of swishing, they say, you should have a clean set of teeth and be on your way to a whiter smile.

The reality of the situation is a bit different. Sure, oil pulling can get some bacteria off your teeth and even pull dead cells off of your gums, but it isn’t tough enough to remove stains from your teeth. The only thing you’re really going to get from oil pulling, aside from sore cheeks, is a vitamin boost from having oil in your mouth for so long.

Many oil pulling advocates believe that the practice is sufficient for regular oral hygiene, but don’t be mistaken: you need to be brushing and flossing even if you oil pull. The jury might be out on the clinical effectiveness of oil pulling, but practical knowledge says that you can skip the swishing and stick to tried and true methods.

Citrus And Bananas: Do Their Peels Contain Whitening Power?

One of the sillier rumors floating around the internet is that you can whiten your teeth by rubbing them with the inside of a banana or citrus peel. There are various reasons why one method is preferred over the other, but the results are generally the same: nothing.

Some people have reported seeing real results from banana peels, and there is a reason for that: the magnesium and potassium in banana peels can temporarily polish the surfaces of your teeth. In just a few minutes away from the mirror that shine will fade, leaving your teeth looking the same as they did before.

Citrus is just a plain bad idea. The acid in the peels – which is reportedly the thing that bleaches your teeth – causes your enamel to soften and erode just like plaque bacteria does! Repeat exposure to citrus peels as a whitener is sure to get you some kind of result: a cavity.

How To Really Whiten Your Teeth

There’s only one way that’s been proven to whiten teeth again and again: professional whitening with a hydrogen peroxide gel. When you come to our Carmel office to whiten your teeth you’re getting a system that’s custom tailored to your wants and needs, not some over-the-counter or internet DIY stuff.

We’ve been creating great, shining smiles for years at Really Smile Dentistry, and we’d love to show you what we can do with yours. We’re confident that you’ll be amazed with your new look – and all without rubbing banana peels on your face.

Give us a call today at 317-451-4050 or request an appointment online. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Important Questions To Ask About Teeth Whitening

By on April 25, 2016

You would probably having a hard time finding someone who didn’t want to whiten their smile at least a bit. The stains of coffee, wine, tea, and other foods build up on our teeth and end up causing them to become dull, grey, or even yellow.

Finding a teeth whitening solution that works can seem difficult, or even impossible, but that’s because you’ve probably been looking in the wrong places. Here’s some questions to ask and things to be aware of when you want to get results the first time.

1: Does Over-The-Counter Teeth Whitening Work?

We’ve talked about this before, and the answer still stands: commercial teeth whitening kits are a crapshoot at best. While you can get results from them it’s difficult to really get what you want. There’s a number of things stacked against commercial teeth whitening kits, none of which are problems if you get whitening done at our Carmel dentist office.

Commercial whitening isn’t as strong as the products we can prescribe. You simply won’t be able to get the same dramatic whitening we can provide.
Whitening trays in over-the-counter kits aren’t designed to fit your mouth, so they won’t seal in whitening gel properly. This weakens the gel or completely eliminates the whitening effect!
Whitening gels are unstable, and if they’re left to sit they’ll get weaker. Who knows how long that kit you bought has been on the shelf, but it’s not going to be as strong as something fresh!

2: What’s In My Whitening Gel And Why Does It Work?

When it comes down to real whitening with real results there’s only one thing that really does the trick: hydrogen peroxide. Professional whitening products all use hydrogen peroxide because it’s so effective at breaking down the molecules that cause stains.

Other products, like carbamide peroxide, still rely on hydrogen peroxide to do the job. Remember how we said that whitening gels left on the shelf lose strength? That’s because hydrogen peroxide is so unstable. Add a urea molecule to it, however, and you’ve got carbamide peroxide, something way more durable.

With durability comes a loss of potency, which is why professional whitening products avoid using anything besides the real deal. Check out the whitening kits at the store – most of them are carbamide, and if they aren’t they’re just weakened hydrogen peroxide. You’re losing out either way.

3: How Do I Know Professional Whitening Will Work?

Aside from the years and years of great whitening results we have to show for it there’s the added knowledge that you’re getting a plan custom tailored to your unique needs. The strength of whitening gels can vary vastly from product to product – even in the professional whitening world. That’s why we always perform an exam and consultation that allows us to select the right product for you.

When you get a professional whitening treatment at Really Smile Dentistry you’re getting something just as customized as any other treatment we provide. From the gel to the custom-made whitening trays, everything comes together to work perfectly for YOU!

4: Do I Need To Constantly Whiten My Teeth?

Let’s be realistic: no amount of bleaching, erasing, or correcting can eliminate wear and tear permanently. Your teeth get a lot of use, and there’s no way that teeth whitening is going to be permanent. As you continue to eat, drink, and live life your teeth will become stained, but whitening can turn back the clock again and again!

The teeth whitening we’re able to perform at our Carmel office breaks up stain particles and keeps your smile white and bright for a long time, but if you continue to smoke, drink coffee or wine, and eat foods that discolor your teeth you won’t have that new shade of white forever. The bottom line is that your white smile will last longer if you ditch some of those staining foods.

Real Whitening Is Possible

Whitening teeth isn’t exactly a fine science – hydrogen peroxide removes stains, period. The tricky part is getting the solution that’s strong enough for your unique needs, custom built to fit your unique mouth, and convenient enough to not be a burden.

The whitening we offer at Really Smile Dentistry is exactly that. We’re confident that you’ll love the results that you get in just a few weeks of nightly whitening treatments. Don’t wait another day to come see us – that white smile is as close as your next appointment!

Call our Carmel office at 317-451-4050 or request an appointment online. We look forward to seeing you soon!

How Our Teeth Whitening Goes Above And Beyond

By on March 21, 2016

Teeth whitening is one of those dental services that have built up a questionable reputation over the years. People often think that whitening doesn’t work, that it’s a gamble, or that it’s nothing but a marketing trick designed to sell useless products.

We’ve discussed the reasons teeth whitening doesn’t work in the past, but today we want to go in-depth with the teeth whitening we offer at our Carmel dentist office. We’ve seen remarkable results with this product and we’re confident it can eliminate the most dense and deep of stains from your teeth!

Three Key Factors In Teeth Whitening

If you’ve read our previous blog about teeth whitening failure you may be familiar with why it doesn’t work, but it can be helpful to see it stated another way too: the reasons why professional whitening DOES work.

There are three factors to consider when looking for a good teeth whitening product: the strength of the hydrogen peroxide, how it is shipped and stored, and whether or not the whitening trays truly seal the gel off from the rest of your mouth.

We’re proud to offer KöR deep bleaching, a revolutionary whitening product that fulfills these three criteria and also adds to them to make it a truly excellent whitening product.

A Whitening System That Works

From the moment KöR whitening products leave the lab they’re already a step above the competition. Hydrogen peroxide whitening gels are incredibly unstable, and even temperature variations can weaken them to the point that they’re useless. KöR products are all refrigerated from the moment the tubes are filled, ensuring the product you get has been in a completely controlled environment from the moment it was made.

KöR is shipped refrigerated, we store it refrigerated, and when you take it home you’ll keep it there too. The absence of light, temperature fluctuation, and any other environmental variable will produce whitening results that you probably didn’t even know were possible.

Your whitening trays are also custom produced and designed to seal tightly. This keeps out saliva, another whitening weakener. Before we even give you whitening gels we’ll take an impression of your mouth that’s used to design trays to fit your unique smile. Your trays will lock out saliva, provide an even coating of whitening gel, and leave you with a perfect smile!

Combatting Whitening Sensitivity: KöR Does That Too!

You aren’t going to find a more effective teeth whitening chemical than hydrogen peroxide, but its strength also causes sensitivity for a lot of patients. KöR was actually designed with sensitive patients in mind, so you can rest easy knowing that your smile will brighten without any aches or discomfort!

Before you begin whitening with KöR you apply a desensitizing gel that is designed to get in between the tubules that make up your enamel. It’s these small passageways that cause whitening sensitivity by allowing gel to penetrate deeply into your teeth where nerves reside. KöR desensitizing gel is designed to temporarily plug those tubules to prevent accidental absorption.

The KöR Difference: It Lasts

Do you know why your teeth become stained? It’s because over time your enamel loses its ability to absorb “bleaching factors,” which are compounds like oxygen and water in hydrogen peroxide gels. As the pores in your teeth become clogged with the gunk that causes stains you won’t be able to maintain a white smile, and any attempt to whiten without rejuvenation simply bleaches the stains that are already present.

KöR whitening gels contain a patented chemical called Hydremide® Peroxide that is able to break stains down instead of simply bleaching them. The result is a smile that stays bright and white just like it should.

The whitening results you get with KöR are just as permanent as you want them to be. Your smile will look good for longer, and maintaining it will be far easier than it is with other whitening products. KöR just plain works!

What Are You Waiting For?

The bright white smile of your dreams isn’t far off. In fact, you can have it with just a few weeks of at-home whitening in the evening with KöR. Don’t keep on living with a dull smile you hate – transform it at Really Smile Dentistry!

We can start your whitening journey today. Just call us at 317-451-4050 or request an appointment here online. We look forward to helping you get the bright, white smile you’ve always wanted.

Questions From Patients Like You

By on January 17, 2016

We get a lot of questions at our Carmel dentist office from people filling out our online contact form. If you’ve ever had a question about any of our services chances are your question has been asked before – we get a lot of repeats!

The team at Really Smile believes that you should know about every bit of your dental care, which is why we’re taking some of the most commonly asked questions and giving you answers to them right here. Hopefully you’ll get the answers you need, and if not you know how to find us!

I’ve had a toothache for a while now, but I’m not sure I want to get a root canal. Are they as bad as everyone says, and does a toothache mean I definitely need one?

– Indianapolis, IN

If you’ve been experiencing a long-term toothache there’s a good chance that you do have a cavity that’s reached the root of your tooth. Once a cavity gets there the only good way to eliminate the pain, save the tooth, and destroy the infection is with a root canal.

Don’t get caught up in the idea that they’re painful, though: those are just rumors and stories that have become something of a legend. A root canal will eliminate pain and have you feeling better in no time. We’d also never perform one without you having had a thorough dose of anesthesia – you definitely won’t be feeling a thing in that tooth!

I’ve been considering getting Invisalign to straighten my teeth but I have doubts. Is it really as hard to notice as the ads seem to make it? Does it even work at all? I don’t want to invest time and money and product that won’t deliver results.

– Noblesville, IN

We completely understand how you feel about Invisalign: those claims can sound really dubious, especially considering it’s just plastic covering your teeth! Believe it or not we can attest to the fact that Invisalign really works and is nearly impossible to notice. We’ve had patients come to our office to get new aligners and we couldn’t even tell if they were wearing them!

If you come to see us at Really Smile for an Invisalign consultation you won’t be under any obligation to begin treatment, but we’ll still be able to show you what your results will look like. We use state-of-the-art 3D modeling to scan your teeth and predict outcomes. We’re sure you’ll love the way you’ll look!

I’ve tried whitening my teeth several times without good results. I’m interested in professional teeth whitening but I’m not sure that it’s worth the time. What makes your products different?

– Westfield, IN

Professional teeth whitening is so different from over-the-counter stuff that it’s hard to even compare them. The active ingredients may be the same but the attention to detail, application method, and results are simply too different to put side by side.

We use KöR deep bleaching at our Carmel office, and we can tell you with confidence that it really works. KöR trays lock out saliva, which can destroy whitening gel, getting you an uninterrupted treatment that delivers serious results for even the worst stained teeth. Trust us: you can trust KöR.

I read online that twice yearly dental cleanings were unnecessary. Do I need to spend money to prevent problems that might not even occur? Why not simply get a filling when a cavity happens?

– Lawrence, IN

A lot of medical professionals are now saying that annual physicals are unnecessary: they cost too much, they don’t always catch potential problems, and they only serve to tell you what’s going well. Dental appointments couldn’t be more different, and in fact are often a big part of maintaining bodily health as well!

Exams and cleanings stop cavity formation, allow us to identify problems early, and best of all they save you a lot of money. Waiting for oral health problems to happen is never a good idea, especially considering the difference in cost between an exam and a filling or crown! Don’t neglect your teeth by ignoring appointments: it’s a really bad idea!

Make The Choice For A Great Smile

It doesn’t matter what kind of dental care question you have – the answer can be found at Really Smile in Carmel IN! Get the answers, treatments, and smile you deserve by calling us today at 317-451-4050. You can also request an appointment by filling out our online form. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Get The Bright White Smile You’ve Always Wanted!

By on October 29, 2015

Teeth whitening sure does seem like a racket, doesn’t it? All those new systems promising amazing results in less time … and what do they actually provide? If you’ve tried over-the-counter teeth whitening you’ve probably been left feeling like you were taken for a ride. Even some professional systems work “so-so.”

At Really Smile Dentistry we have whitening that works. Period. It does what it’s supposed to because our teeth whitening system addresses a lot of the problems that others ones have and fixes them! If you’re looking for teeth whitening that really gets the job done then look no further – it’s right here in Carmel, IN!

Teeth Whitening: What’s The Big Idea?

A lot of things about teeth whitening haven’t changed over time because they don’t need to! The biggest one of those is the whitening gel made from hydrogen peroxide. It works when used correctly, but unfortunately for many whitening systems it doesn’t get that chance!

Hydrogen peroxide whitening gel is very unstable. It needs to be that way to make whitening work, however, because the breakdown into oxygen and water is what makes the whitening actually happen! But because hydrogen peroxide gel is so unstable there are a lot of problems that go along with using it!

One of the biggest issues that face teeth whitening systems is that instability. It’s so sensitive that even your saliva weakens it! For anyone that’s ended up with splotchy, uneven whitening that might be your cause!

How We Fix Whitening Problems

We still use hydrogen peroxide gel but it’s all in how we apply it to your teeth! At your first whitening appointment we take an impression of your mouth which we use to craft custom whitening trays. The trays are designed to keep whitening gel in and lock saliva out, giving you a whitening experience that’s completely effective!

We conduct our whitening sessions in our Carmel office so that we can ensure everything goes exactly as it should. We place the trays in your mouth and let them sit for several minutes to let them do their magic! Once your whitening has completed we’ll clean your mouth out and take a look along with you to determine if you’re happy with the level of results.

You could be leaving our office with a newly brightened set of teeth after just one appointment! If you aren’t completely satisfied with your results we’ll be more than happy to schedule you for a second whitening session. For people with deep or dark stains it can take several treatments to restore your teeth to natural color!

Avoiding Sensitivity

Lots of patients who want whitening are concerned about sensitivity. Sensitivity most commonly results from whitening gels making contact with the gums. Your gums are very sensitive and the whitening gels can irritate them quite a bit, even causing soreness in your teeth!

We combat whitening sensitivity by using our custom-fit whitening trays! These trays form a tight barrier between teeth and gums so that no gel makes contact with anything but teeth! The result is a sensitivity-free and beautifully white smile!

What Are You Waiting For?

If you’ve been burned by teeth whitening promises before we can understand how you feel. We’re sure we can get you real results that will create a smile you’ve never dreamed possible! All it takes is that first phone call to schedule your whitening consultation.

So what are you waiting for? Call Really Smile Dentistry today! You can reach us at 317-451-4050 or you can request an appointment by filling out our online form. We look forward to seeing you soon!

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