Teeth whitening is another very popular way to change the appearance of teeth. There are two types of whitening, in-office or at-home whitening. In-office whitening uses a high intensity light along with 35% hydrogen peroxide. The patient’s gums are protected, and the whitening process takes about an hour. The results are usually teeth that are four to six shades lighter than before. The at-home systems generally use between 10 and 20% carbamine peroxide. Impressions of the person’s mouth are made in order to make trays. The trays are then fitted and the patient is told to place a little bit of the carbamine peroxide gel in the tray and ware it while sleeping. The time of wearing this varies greatly from one week to six. Some people use a combination of in-office and at-home systems. This usually has a result of 12 to 15 shades of whitening.

There are three popular procedures to fix only a few unappealing teeth. The procedures for fixing select teeth are: tooth shaping, bonded-bridge, and resin or tooth colored fillings. Tooth shaping is when a doctor removes a very small amount of enamel from a tooth in order to shape it and make it more appealing. This is usually used for shortening long teeth, rounding off pointed teeth, or to simply make a smile follow the contour of the lower lip (which is more appealing). This procedure costs only $25 to $75 per tooth. The bonded-bridge procedure is used to replace missing teeth. The procedure usually involves taking out a small amount from teeth on either side of the missing tooth and then taking an impression or mold. From this, a bonded-bridge that can attach to the backs of the teeth on either side is made. There are resin-bonded bridges that do not fall out as easily, and there are metal bonded-bridges that are more expensive. Finally, people can get resin or tooth colored fillings. Resin is used to fill small cavities or a chipped front tooth. Resin instead of porcelain veneers saves money as well as time, but resin needs to be replaced every so often.