Professional teeth whitening lifts years of stains from your teeth in one visit or over a couple of weeks at home. Dentistry Today provides dentist-supervised whitening for Madison, AL from our office on Madison Boulevard. Call (256) 529-5179 to book.
Book your whitening consultation · (256) 529-5179
Most Madison patients who ask about whitening have already tried a drugstore kit or a whitening toothpaste and want a result that actually shows. Our office sits at 7736 Madison Blvd, Suite #2, on Madison Boulevard and the Hwy 72 shops. That means a whitening visit does not eat your whole afternoon. Dr. Leslie Barrilleaux is the only AACD-accredited cosmetic dentist in Alabama, so whitening here is planned around your whole smile. Whether you are getting ready for a wedding, a reunion at Dublin Park, or just tired of coffee stains, this page walks through your options, what results to expect, and what it costs.
Dr. Leslie Barrilleaux, DMD, graduated with honors from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry and has practiced for more than 25 years. She is the only AACD-accredited cosmetic dentist in Alabama, a credential fewer than 600 dentists nationwide hold and one she has carried. Whitening looks simple, but shade, evenness, and how it plays against any existing dental work all take a trained cosmetic eye. That is the difference between teeth that look bright and teeth that look bleached.
Whitening here is done under a dentist’s supervision. Before we brighten anything, we check for cavities, gum irritation, and exposed roots, because whitening over an untreated problem can hurt and can look patchy. If you have crowns or veneers on your front teeth, we plan the shade around them so your smile matches after. We also run an in-house dental lab, which is where your custom take-home trays are made to fit your teeth instead of a stock tray that leaks gel onto your gums.
Store strips and trays use a lower concentration of whitening gel and a generic tray. They can help a little. They also tend to whiten unevenly and irritate gums when the gel spreads where it should not. Professional whitening solves both problems.
You are paying for the plan and the supervision, not just the gel. That is what keeps a bright smile from turning into a sensitive, blotchy one.
Teeth stain in two ways. Surface stains sit on the enamel and come from coffee, tea, red wine, tobacco, and dark foods. Deeper stains build up inside the tooth over years and from aging, and those are the ones a toothpaste never touches. Professional whitening uses a peroxide-based gel that breaks apart both kinds of stain molecules, so the tooth looks lighter from the inside out.
We offer two proven routes, and many patients combine them: an in-office treatment for a fast, controlled result, and custom take-home trays for a gradual result you manage yourself. The right choice depends on your timeline, how sensitive your teeth are, and how much control you want.
Both methods reach a similar brightness. The difference is speed, cost, and who is doing the work. Here is how they compare.
| Feature | In-office whitening | Custom take-home trays |
|---|---|---|
| Time to result | One visit | Gradual, about 1 to 2 weeks |
| Where it happens | In the chair, dentist-supervised | At home, on your schedule |
| Gel strength | Highest concentration | Lower concentration, worn longer |
| Best for | An event or a fast turnaround | Control, touch-ups, tight budgets |
| Sensitivity control | Managed in-office as we go | You pace the sessions yourself |
Some patients start with an in-office session to get bright fast, then keep custom trays at home for touch-ups before big events. We will tell you which route fits your teeth and your timeline.
Your first appointment is a shade check and an exam. We record your starting shade, look for anything that would make whitening uncomfortable, and take impressions if you want take-home trays. For an in-office treatment, we protect your gums, apply the professional gel in timed rounds, and check the shade as we go. The chair time is usually under an hour. If you chose trays, they are made in our in-house lab and we show you exactly how much gel to use and how long to wear them.
If your teeth look yellow or dull in photos, if a store kit did not do much, or if you have a specific date on the calendar, professional whitening is worth a consult. It is one of the least invasive cosmetic treatments there is: nothing is drilled, and no tooth structure is removed. That said, whitening is not right for every tooth, so a quick exam saves you money and disappointment.
Most healthy adults are good candidates. Whitening works best on natural teeth with yellow or brown stains. It does not lighten crowns, veneers, bonding, or fillings, so if those sit in your smile line, we plan around them or discuss replacing them to match. Whitening is also paused during pregnancy and is not aimed at kids. If you have gum disease, heavy sensitivity, or exposed roots, we treat that first. Grayish stains from old medications respond less predictably, and for a single dark tooth, internal bleaching or a veneer often works better than whitening the whole arch.
How long the result lasts varies from person to person, sometimes longer with good habits and the occasional take-home touch-up. Coffee, tea, red wine, and tobacco pull the shade back faster, which is why home trays are handy for a quick refresh. Some patients feel temporary tooth sensitivity or short zings during and just after treatment. That is usually mild and temporary, and typically settles within a few days, and we can add a desensitizing step or slow the pace to keep you comfortable.
Your price depends on the method you choose and whether you combine in-office with take-home trays, so we quote you after a quick shade check. Call us for our exact Madison pricing. We also offer financing through CareCredit and Cherry if you want to spread the cost. Ask the front desk for a firm number before you commit.
Ask about whitening options and pricing · (256) 529-5179
You can also see real smile changes on our before-and-after gallery.
Whitening is often the first step in a bigger smile plan. If stains are only part of the picture, these pages go deeper:
A cleaning and exam is the usual starting point. From there we point you to the right option.
We whiten teeth at 7736 Madison Blvd, Suite #2, Huntsville, AL 35806, on the Madison Boulevard corridor, close to the Hwy 72 shops. There is parking at the door. We also see patients at our Scottsboro office at 921 S Broad St, Scottsboro, AL 35768.
Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Closed Saturday and Sunday. Phone: (256) 529-5179 Email: De***************@***il.com
It depends on the method, so we give you a firm number after a quick shade check. Call us for our exact Madison pricing. We also offer financing through CareCredit and Cherry if you want to spread the cost. Call (256) 529-5179 for a quote.
Some patients feel temporary sensitivity or short zings during and right after whitening. This happens because the peroxide gel passes through the enamel and can briefly irritate the nerve inside the tooth, and it settles on its own. It is usually mild and temporary, and typically settles within a few days. Because your whitening is dentist-supervised, we can adjust the treatment to keep you comfortable.
How long results last varies from person to person, often longer with good habits. Coffee, tea, red wine, and tobacco pull the shade back faster than anything else. A set of custom take-home trays lets you do a quick touch-up before an event instead of paying for a full treatment again. We can make those trays in our in-house lab at your visit.
Yes, for most people who want a real, even result. Strips use a weaker gel and a one-size fit, so they whiten slowly and often unevenly, especially around the gumline. Professional whitening uses stronger, dentist-grade gel and, for take-home, trays molded to your teeth. You also get a shade plan around any crowns or veneers, which a store kit cannot do.
Usually, yes. Yellow and brown stains from coffee, tea, wine, tobacco, and aging respond well to professional whitening. Gray stains, often from old medications or a tooth that had a root canal, respond less predictably. For a single dark tooth, internal bleaching or a veneer can work better than whitening the whole arch. A quick exam tells us which category your staining falls into.
No. Whitening gel only lightens natural tooth enamel, not porcelain, ceramic, or composite. So crowns, veneers, bonding, and fillings stay the shade they were made. If those sit in your smile line, we plan the whitening shade around them, and if they no longer match after whitening, we can discuss replacing them. Tell us where your existing dental work is before we start.
Most people do a full whitening once and then touch up as needed rather than repeating it constantly. Over-whitening can irritate teeth and gums, so we space treatments out and guide the pace. With custom take-home trays, a short touch-up every several months is usually plenty to hold your shade. Dr. Barrilleaux will recommend a schedule based on your habits and how quickly your teeth restain.
