What's New in Teeth Whitening

Teeth Whitening in Flagstaff AZ

How it works:
Carbamide Peroxide is the main ingredient in most all teeth whitening systems.  When it is mixed with water, it releases Hydrogen Peroxide.  Hydrogen Peroxide is the active ingredient that whitens your teeth.  This method has been found by the FDA and the ADA to do no damage to or weakening of tooth structure.

There are four major methods of which to whiten ones teeth:

1.  Zoom Whitening-  A very strong dose of beach is placed on one's teeth.  A strong light is then shone on the solution.  This is reapplied 3 times over an hour.  Dr. Bacon had this unit for a short time in his Flagstaff dental office.  It caused so much post bleach pain that patients needed medication to get through the next 24 hours.  Needless to say we stopped using this technique.  Interestingly, research has since shown the light had no effect on the bleaching.

2.  Whitening Toothpaste- Toothpaste with a whitening ingredient have been shown to have little to no effect.  The whitener stays on the teeth so short a time as to not be able to soak in. Some toothpastes whiten also by abrasion.  This does remove superficial stain but over time can wear down your enamel and damage teeth.  It is best and safest to have superficial stain periodically removed by a dental hygienist.

3. Whitening Strips- This is an effective way to whiten teeth.  The disadvantage is the strips adhere better towards the edge of the teeth than by the gum line there tends to be a range of shade in each tooth.

4.  Custom Trays-  The best and most effective way to whiten teeth is to have a custom fit tray made at a dental office.  The custom tray better retains the bleach by the gum line. Just 30-45 minutes a day for 4 or 5 days does the job!  We also have a desensitizing gel to put in your tray after whitening if you have some sensitivity. Impressions for bleaching trays are easy and take very little time.  Because you can reuse your tray for years custom trays are less expensive over time than strips! You can read more at our Flagstaff Downtown Dental office's website.

Best of Flagstaff Event Night - Photo Drop

Best of Flagstaff Event Night - Photo Drop: Best of Flagstaff Awards Night for 2015! Great time had by all! Thanks to all the businesses that came out last night.

Emergency Dental Problems

In Dr. Bacon's dental practice, our policy is to always see a patient of record in need of dental attention.
-Dr. Bacons cell phone is left on voice mail
-We will squeeze you in to our schedule, no matter how hectic or busy our day is.  Our patients always come first.
-If Dr. Bacon is out of the office or out of town, you can still reach him on your cell phone.
-If Dr. Bacon is unreachable (out of the country or in a remote area) he will have a dentist on call for him.
-It is our policy to always be there for you
-Unfortunately, Dr. Bacon cannot be on call for all of Flagstaff.  If your dentist is unreachable or if you don't have a dentist, he will still try to see you when he returns to his office during regular hours.
-Office hours are 7-5, M-F.  Check out our web site here. CLICK

Flagstaff Poore Dental Clinic

Flagstaff's Poore Dental Clinic and Medical Clinic helpers sadly say good-bye to it's founder Dr. Henry Poore.  Its unique premise of taking care of lower income uninsured people has been one of the greatest health care gifts to the Flagstaff community ever.  We commit ourselves as medical professionals to carry on what Dr. Poore has started to assure this service to Flagstaff continues.  Thank you Henry and Nina!

Porcelain Dental Veneers vs. Orthodontics

There are often several ways to solve an esthetic dental problem. In the case of either crowding, too much space or turned teeth both orthodontics and veneers are possible solutions. Below I have listed some of the reasons to choose veneers and then reasons to go with orthodontics.
Advantages of veneers:
1. It only takes a couple of weeks to have a finished result.
2. You can change your teeth to a brighter color.
3. You can change the shape of your teeth. (Longer or wider, for example.)
4. You can repair any chipping or cracking present.

Advantages of orthodontics:
1.You can improve your bite as well as straighten your teeth.
2. No drilling or alteration of your teeth.

It is often easier to use veneers over ortho for filling in spaces(Although veneers have their limits). It is often better to use ortho to solve crowding.
Sometimes the best result occurs when we do a combination of ortho and veneers.
For a free cosmetic consult call 928-774-1168. To read more about veneers on our web site click here
To watch a video of a Dr. Bacon veneer case click here

Downtown Flagstaff Dentist Office Opens

April 6, 2015, Dr. Bacon and Dr. Peters are moving from their Beaver St. office to 323 Leroux in downtown Flagstaff.  This remodeled 100 year old historic Flagstaff house has 10 rooms to assure minimal waits for their much appreciated patients. Refinished oak floors in a beautiful waiting room helps continue the homey feeling our Beaver St. office has provided for over 25 years. Plenty of parking off of Dale St will make visiting us in downtown Flagstaff a cinch.  We look forward to seeing all our long time loyal patients as well as new patients in our new location.

Best Cosmetic Dentist-  Flagstaff Business News has taken a survey of it's readers and we are pleased to report that Dr. John Bacon has been voted Best Cosmetic Dentist of Flagstaff for 2014.
Dr. Bacon has been providing Flagstaff with cosmetic services such as Porcelain veneers, Teeth whitening and smile design for many years.  Free mock ups allow patients to envision what their new smile would look like prior to taking the plunge!