Our society is becoming more and more focused on appearances.  You may be concerned that your teeth are yellow or stained.  The tooth tissue under the enamel actually has a yellow or greyish colour to it, so rest assured that healthy, natural teeth are slightly grey or yellow.  Teeth darken naturally as you age. But things like tea, coffee, red wine and highly pigmented foods can stain the surfaces of the teeth.  The buzz in the media is about chairside whitening procedures like “Zoom” whitening and other similar products.  The long term success of these expensive procedures is questionable as reported in the Journal of the Canadian Dental Association, July issue, 2005.  Take-home trays fabricated by the dentist that the patient can use at home appear to have comparable, if not better, long term whitening results.  At Laurentian Dental Centre, we can make take-home whitening trays for you to whiten your teeth gradually over the course of a few weeks.  People occasionally report sensitivity during and immediately after using their whitening kits, but this is usually transient.  We ask that you use good personal judgement and decrease the length of exposure if you experience sensitivity.  For more information please talk to us, or see the Canadian Dental Association website.