My Blog
Posts for tag: teeth whitening
Is your smile making you look older than you want to? Are your teeth dull and yellow? Do you want to make your smile whiter and more attractive? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are ready for a professional teeth whitening treatment.
Dr. Michael Pugh in Huntsville, Alabama offers a wide range of preventive, restorative, and cosmetic dental services including professional teeth whitening to enhance your smile.
You may have tried over-the-counter whitening products, only to find they didn’t whiten your teeth enough, made your teeth sensitive, or the results didn’t last. Professional teeth whitening is different. When you choose professional teeth whitening, you can be sure of:
- Excellent results, because you can whiten your teeth up to 8 shades whiter.
- Long-term benefits, because your results can last for years.
- Safe treatment, because professional teeth whitening products have been approved by the American Dental Association.
There are many things that can make your smile dull and yellow. Aging is one of the main factors. As you age, your enamel becomes thinner, allowing you and others to see the layer underneath, called dentin. This layer is naturally yellow, so the more dentin you can see, the more yellow your smile will look.
If you drink coffee, tea, or red wine, the pigments in these beverages can give you dark stains in your smile. Even blueberries, a healthy food, can stain your teeth. If you use tobacco products, they can add layers of stains to your teeth.
The good news is, professional teeth whitening can eliminate stains and yellowing, giving you the bright, white smile you deserve. Professional teeth whitening treatment is quick, offering excellent results in about an hour. That means you can have a bright, dazzling smile just in time for a special event like a wedding or reunion when you want to look your best.
You don’t have to settle for a dull, unappealing smile when a brilliant smile is just a phone call away. It’s time to discover the magic of professional teeth whitening by calling Dr. Michael Pugh in Huntsville, Alabama at (256) 536-3386. Let professional teeth whitening improve your look by calling today.
What your dentist in Huntsville wants you to know
If you’ve thought about teeth whitening, you may have tried some of the over-the-counter whitening treatments available in your grocery store. These products can be effective for some people, however, they often don’t produce the dramatic whitening you need, or the results may not last as long as you want. Some products also contain harmful chemicals which can make your teeth and gums sensitive. There is a better way--professional teeth whitening! Dr. Michael Pugh at Artistic Dentistry in Huntsville, AL wants to share some professional teeth whitening options.
Teeth can become stained from drinking coffee, tea or red wine. They can also suffer the effects of tobacco use, covering your teeth with ugly brown stains. One of the biggest culprits for yellow teeth is the normal aging process. As you age, your enamel becomes more transparent, enabling you and others to see through to the layer underneath, called dentin. This layer is yellow in color and turns a darker yellow as you age. That’s why your smile will look yellower and darker as the years go by.
It’s time to whiten and brighten your smile with a professional teeth whitening treatment. Today’s teeth whitening treatments are state-of-the-art and can whiten your teeth up to 8 shades whiter, and unlike over-the-counter treatments, the results are long-lasting.
When you visit Artistic Dentistry in Huntsville, AL you can choose from these teeth whitening treatments:
An in-office whitening treatment, which takes just over an hour; it’s the perfect choice for your busy schedule if you want a brilliant smile quickly. It’s also a great option for a special event you may have coming up. During the treatment, a professional strength whitening gel is applied to your teeth, and the process is accelerated using a high-tech whitening light system.
At-home whitening treatment kits, which contain everything you need to whiten your teeth at your convenience, in the comfort and privacy of your home. The kit contains prescription strength whitening gel and custom trays to wear.
Whichever teeth whitening method you choose, you will achieve a brighter, whiter smile than you ever thought possible. You deserve to look your best, and a great smile is the perfect place to start. It’s time to call Dr. Pugh at Artistic Dentistry in Huntsville, AL. Find out more about your teeth whitening options by calling today!

When you have your teeth bleached in a dental office, the results almost seem like magic. Let's push aside the magician's cape and see what is really happening in professionally-applied, in-office tooth whitening.
How do teeth become discolored?
A tooth's enamel covering is mostly composed of mineral crystals. At a microscopic level, you can see a framework or matrix of organic (living) matter interspersed between the crystals of enamel creating a very irregular surface capable of retaining stains. Chromagenic (color generating) organic compounds can become part of this organic matrix resulting in tooth staining. They can be bleached without affecting the mineral structure of the tooth's enamel.
As people get older and their teeth wear, the enamel loses its youthful translucency and the underlying layer, called dentin, thickens and becomes more yellow. Such changes to the actual tooth structure are called intrinsic staining. Other causes of intrinsic discoloration are exposure to high levels of fluoride or tetracycline antibiotic administration during childhood, tooth decay, or root canal problems, among others. Discoloration can also be caused by external staining from certain foods, drinks, or tobacco products. Such surface stains are called extrinsic staining.
Behind the Magic
Materials used for tooth bleaching are hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide. Peroxides are commonly used as bleach, and you may have seen them used as hair bleaches, for example. Hydrogen peroxide is a strong oxidizing agent that attacks the organic molecules responsible for tooth discoloration, bleaching them until they lose their color. Carbamide peroxide also contains urea, which is a compound that permits the peroxide to remain in contact with the teeth for longer amounts of time without harming them.
Often called power bleaching, the in-office technique uses a high concentration of peroxide solution (35-45% hydrogen peroxide), placed directly on the teeth in the form of a gel. A heat or light source may enhance the peroxide release. The gel is applied with trays custom fitted to your mouth, and specific barriers are applied to protect sensitive gum tissue from the solution. Results show teeth becoming up to ten shades lighter in about an hour.
In-office bleaching under the supervision of my staff and me is recommended if you have severely stained teeth, and particularly if you are about to have veneers or crowns made. It's a way to rediscover the pearly translucency of your youthful smile.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment to discuss your questions about tooth bleaching. You can also learn more by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Teeth Whitening.”

If you have discolored teeth, the cause is often staining on the enamel surfaces from foods, beverages, or smoking. But tooth discoloration may also originate deep within the root of a tooth. Sometimes this happens to a tooth that had to have earlier root canal treatment because of injury or decay.
In such cases the living pulp tissue and its blood vessels and nerves had to be removed from the root canals, resulting in the death of the dentin layer, which makes up most of the tooth's body. Over time this caused the dentin to darken. The color may come from remains of blood that was left in the tissue, or from filling materials left in the root canal that are showing through.
Since these stains are caused internally (intrinsic) and not on the outside of the tooth (extrinsic) they must be whitened from the inside. This is usually done by putting a bleaching agent into the empty chamber from which the pulp was removed. Usually the bleaching agent is a substance called sodium perborate.
When it is mixed with a solution of hydrogen peroxide, sodium perborate slowly bleaches the color from the tooth's internal material. It is considered to be safe and reliable for this use.
The work begins by taking x-ray images to make sure that the root canal is correctly sealed and the bone is healthy. After this, we will make a small hole in the back of the tooth through which the root canal space will be cleaned. The root canal space will be sealed and the bleach will be applied in a putty-like form and sealed off from the rest of your mouth. Every few days this procedure will be repeated until the bleaching reaches the desired level.
At this point a tooth-colored composite resin will be used to seal the small hole that was made in the dentin to insert the bleach. After the tooth has reached the level of whiteness that matches it to your other teeth, veneers or crowns must sometimes be used to repair the surface if it is chipped or misshapen, for example.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment to discuss your questions about whitening internally discolored teeth. You can also learn more by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Whitening Traumatized Teeth.”

Having a whiter, brighter smile can do wonders for improving self-confidence, career opportunities, and interpersonal relationships, as demonstrated in numerous scientific studies. In fact, according to a poll conducted on behalf of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD), the following was revealed:
- 99.7% of Americans believe a smile is an important social asset.
- 74% feel an unattractive smile can hurt chances for career success.
- 50% of all people polled were unsatisfied with their smile.
These statistics demonstrate why you should have a solid understanding about any cosmetic procedure — even teeth whitening — before making your decision to proceed. To help you ensure that you have the facts, we created the following list of questions.
- Am I a good candidate for tooth whitening?
- How much will the entire process cost?
- Does my insurance cover the cost (or any portion of the cost)?
- How does teeth whitening work?
- Is bleaching teeth safe?
- Will the bleaching agents damage tooth enamel?
- Can whitening treatments make my teeth sensitive?
- How does your professional bleaching differ from home whitening?
- What type of bleach and strength will you use?
- How long can I expect the results to last?
- What will the bleach do to my gums, filings, crowns, veneers, and/or bridgework?
Please note that we may cover most or all of these questions during your initial consultation; however, we encourage you to bring this list with you to ensure you get the answers you need so that you can make the best decision. To learn more now, continue reading the Dear Doctor article, “Teeth Whitening: Brighter, Lighter, Whiter....” Or, you can contact us to discuss your questions or to schedule an appointment.