14 News, The Tri-State's News and Weather Leader-New Teeth Whitening System

New Teeth Whitening System

Reporter: Shannon Samson

Web Producer: Brad Maglinger

Melanie Steed says she didn't think her teeth were too bad, until she looked at a whitening chart. On the spectrum of white to brown, she is somewhere in the middle. The new Zoom whitening system will fix that.

"Our goal now is to mask out all the pink," says Dr. Glenn Norton. "We don't want any of the solution to get on the soft tissue."

The prep work may take a while, but overall, the Zoom system is faster than traditional bleaching regimens. Someone with Melanie's discoloration would have to wear a bleaching tray at night for up to two months to get the same results.

"Six to eight weeks and people would burn out," explains Dr. Norton. "Everybody today wants instant. Everybody wants it yesterday."

Once the protective solution is dry, it's time for dentist Glenn Norton to apply the peroxide gel on the teeth.

Next, Dr. Norton lights her up. "OK, start it. And that's it. Now she'll sit there 20 minutes," Dr. Norton.

This high-powered ultraviolet light activates the peroxide. After 20 minutes, Dr. Norton will repeat the process two more times. He says the results can be permanent if the patient does touch ups with bleaching trays a few times a year.

Her new smile goes with her new physique. Three months into a diet and fitness program, Melanie's lost 19 pounds and reduced her body fat 11 percent.

And she's celebrating her success with a new haircut. The stylists at Klein's cut nearly a foot off and took a straight iron to her hair. Add a new fall outfit from Talbot's and Melanie is feeling pretty good about herself.