Professional whitening finished in one appointment with Dr. Nelly Silva, whose postgraduate training at the Las Vegas Institute focused on aesthetic dentistry, at our Arcola Road office near Trappe.
Every case below was photographed in our office, before and after whitening. Each patient started from a different shade, so each result is different. In two of them, the shade tab held beside the teeth shows how far the color moved.
Zoom is the Philips in-office whitening system. We paint a hydrogen peroxide gel onto the front of your teeth and position the Zoom light over your smile to speed up the gel. The peroxide breaks down stain molecules held inside the enamel, so the color of the tooth itself changes rather than only its surface.
The gel goes on in timed rounds of about 15 minutes, with a check between each one. Because our team applies and watches it, the gel can be stronger than any kit sold for home use. Your gums and lips are covered before it touches your teeth.
Whitening works on natural enamel that has picked up color over time. What caused the color decides how well Zoom will work, so we look at that first.
Active decay or gum problems are treated before any whitening. If you are finishing Invisalign with Dr. Silva, whitening can be timed for when your aligners come out for good.
One appointment covers the treatment itself. These are the steps from the exam to your first two days at home.
We check your teeth and gums and read your current shade with a shade guide. If a cleaning is due, it comes first.
A retractor holds your lips and cheeks back, and a barrier is painted along the gumline.
The gel goes on, the Zoom light is set in place, and timed rounds begin. We check your comfort after each one.
We remove the gel and hold the shade guide up again. A desensitizing treatment may be applied before you leave.
New enamel picks up color easily. Keep to pale foods and drinks, skip tobacco, and rinse with water after coffee.
Dr. Silva earned her DMD at Temple University's Kornberg School of Dentistry and teaches there as a Clinical Associate Professor. Her postgraduate training includes the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies, a center for aesthetic and neuromuscular dentistry.
Before any gel goes on, she agrees on a target shade with you. She weighs your skin tone and any crowns or veneers so the result fits your whole smile. She asks patients to call her Nelly.
Whitening is often one part of a patient's care with us. These lines come from patients' own Google reviews.
★★★★★"The staff is very professional, super friendly, and I love the modern equipment. They took great care of my teeth: the X-rays, cleaning, and whitening."
Liz, Google Review
★★★★★"I get a little anxious at the dentist and Dr. Nelly put me at ease."
Kristen K., Google Review
Trappe borders Collegeville, and our office on Arcola Road is a short drive from the borough. Zoom is finished in a single appointment, so there is one trip to plan rather than a series of visits.
If you are due for a checkup, we can plan your cleaning and whitening together so you make as few trips as possible.
Advanced Dentistry of Collegeville399 Arcola Road, Collegeville, PA 19426
Your fee depends on your starting shade, any cleaning or care needed first, and the number of gel rounds. We give you the exact cost at your consultation, before treatment starts.
Straight answers to what patients ask before they whiten.
Zoom is applied by our dental team only after an exam shows your teeth and gums are ready for it. Your gums and lips are covered before the gel goes on, and we check on you between every round. Any decay or gum problems are treated before whitening begins.
How long your new shade holds depends mostly on habits. Coffee, tea, red wine, cola and tobacco bring color back sooner, while routine cleanings slow it down. We look at your shade at checkups and let you know when a shorter touch-up makes sense.
Leaving gel on longer does not give a better result, and over-the-counter products should only be used exactly as their directions say. With Zoom, timing is not left to guesswork. Our team runs each round on a timer and removes the gel when it ends.
Yes, in many cases, as long as you tell us about it at your exam. We can apply a desensitizing treatment and adjust the number of gel rounds to suit you. If worn enamel or exposed roots are the cause, we treat that first.
No. Restorations keep the shade they were made in, so only your natural teeth lighten. If you are planning new crowns or veneers, whitening first lets us match them to your brighter shade.
Strips use a lower-strength gel on a one-size strip that often misses curved edges and back teeth. Zoom uses a professional-strength gel placed tooth by tooth by our team, with your gums protected, and finishes in one visit. We also record your starting and final shade so you can see the change.
Your first step is a short exam and a reading of your current shade with Dr. Silva. You will leave knowing if Zoom fits your teeth, which shade is realistic, and what treatment costs.
