New Hanover County · Since 1987
Teeth Whitening in Porters Neck, NC
Professional whitening reaches shades that strips and toothpastes cannot, and it does it without the gum burns people get from over-the-counter kits.
- Three doctors, one location
- Sedation available
- Most major plans accepted
- Written estimates before treatment
A closer look at whitening
The active ingredient is the same family of peroxide you find in a drugstore. The difference is concentration, contact time, and trays made from a mold of your teeth so the gel sits on enamel rather than gum.
What we see from Porters Neck
More than a third of Porters Neck is 65 or older, and almost nobody moves, vacancy here runs around seven percent.
Cosmetic work after sixty is usually about wear rather than color. Teeth that have been shortening for decades change the whole lower face, and putting the length back does more for how someone looks than whitening ever could.
Porters Neck Plantation and Porters Neck Village together hold much of the community's older population, and both are a straight run down Market Street.
Vacancy here is around seven percent, so patients tend to stay with a practice for decades rather than years.
A lot of the restorative work we do for Porters Neck involves replacing crowns and bridges placed elsewhere in the 1990s.
We see patients from across Porters Neck and the surrounding area, including Porters Neck Plantation, Porters Neck Village, Poplar Grove and the 28411 ZIP code.
New Hanover County is the built-out core of the region, growing around one percent a year, with roughly 21 percent of residents over 65 and the highest concentration of employer dental coverage in southeastern North Carolina.
A shorter recall interval is usually the right call at this stage, because medication-related dry mouth changes decay risk faster than most people expect.
This is the kind of restorative work we do most: patients who kept their teeth a long time and now want a plan that holds for the next twenty years.
You may be a candidate if
- Yellowing from coffee, tea, red wine or tobacco
- General dulling that has come on with age
- A special occasion on the calendar
- Healthy teeth and gums with no untreated decay
- Natural teeth rather than crowns or veneers, which do not lighten
Your treatment, start to finish
- Exam and shade recordWe photograph the starting shade so the change is measurable rather than a matter of opinion.
- Custom traysImpressions go to the lab and trays come back fitted to your arch.
- At-home whiteningUsually two weeks of short daily wear. We adjust the schedule if sensitivity shows up.
- ReviewWe re-photograph, compare, and top up if the shade is not where you want it.
Afterwards
Avoid deeply pigmented food and drink for the first 48 hours after each session. Keep the trays. A single top-up night every few months holds the shade for years.
If getting to follow-up visits is difficult, tell us. We can often combine checks into fewer, longer appointments.
What it costs
Whitening is the lowest-cost cosmetic treatment we offer and it is usually a few hundred dollars including custom trays and gel. It is almost never covered by insurance. Many patients start here before deciding whether they want anything more involved.
If you are on Medicare, note that it does not cover routine dental treatment. Many supplement plans include a limited dental benefit with an annual cap, and we will check yours before quoting anything.
In their own words
Hear from Dr. Barry Frazelle
Dr. Frazelle on why the injection is nothing to dread, and a cheap whitening habit he gives patients.
Questions we get asked
How long do the results last?
One to three years depending on diet and smoking. Top-ups with your existing trays are cheap and quick.
Is in-office whitening better than take-home?
In-office is faster. Custom take-home trays generally reach a comparable end result and hold it better because you keep the trays. We will recommend based on your timeline.
How far is your office from Porters Neck?
About 13 miles, or roughly 22 minutes via Market Street (US-17) or I-140 to MLK Jr. Parkway. We are at 1301 Physicians Dr in Wilmington, with parking at the door.
Do you see patients from Porters Neck?
Regularly. Porters Neck is part of our core service area in New Hanover County, and this is the kind of restorative work we do most: patients who kept their teeth a long time and now want a plan that holds for the next twenty years.
What are your hours?
Monday through Thursday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, and Friday, 8:00am to 12:00pm. Outside those hours, leave a message or use the appointment request form and we will come back to you with the first available time.
Teeth Whitening · Porters Neck, NC
See the result before it is permanent.
Every cosmetic case is mocked up and worn in temporary form before anything final is made. You approve the shape and the shade.
- Cosmetic dentistry is the practice's stated specialty
- Digital design and trial smile before preparation
- Shade-matched lab work with in-person verification
- 50,000+ patients treated since 1987
Afraid of the overdone look? So are we. The brief on nearly every case here is to look like yourself, rested.
Request an appointment
We reply the next business day.
Please do not include Protected Health Information. For anything urgent, call (910) 762-0958.
