Professional Tooth Whitening
Teeth whitening is one of the most popular procedures in cosmetic dentistry. Quick, effective and relatively inexpensive, teeth whitening is an excellent option for improving the appearance of your smile.
A wide variety of day-to-day factors lead to discoloration. From the beverages you drink,to the medicines you take, your lifestyle could be affecting your teeth more than you might think. Common culprits include red wine, coffee, cigarettes, and certain types of antibiotic medications.
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Home teeth whitening systems allow you to whiten your teeth from the comfort of your own home. At-home professional teeth whitening is one of the most popular methods of achieving a brighter smile and gives the best long term results. Professional at-home teeth whitening requires custom-made trays, and professionally dispensed teeth whitening gel which you can only purchase through a licensed dentist. This method can whiten your teeth about 6-8 shades.
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The whitening gel is placed in custom-fitted trays that fit perfectly over your teeth. As the peroxide in the gel breaks down, hydroxyradicals enter the tooth to naturally whiten the stains. Unlike strips & Laser whitening, this process whitens all your teeth and provides maximum comfort with less sensitivity and gum irritation.
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How long does the procedure take?
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Teeth Whiteneing will require 2 visits to your dentist. The first appointment is to take the impressions of your teeth and the second is to supply you with your trays and whitening product. You will then commence the whitening treatment at home. This will mean applying the paste regularly everyday for 1-2 weeks ranging from 30 minutes to 2 hours per day, or overnight.
We will inform you of the correct exposure time when you receive your trays.
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When might whitening not work?
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Whitening can only lighten your existing tooth colour. To change the colour to a specific chosen shade veneering is an option. Whitening only works on natural teeth, it will not work on any type of ‘false’ teeth. This includes dentures, crowns and veneers.
Stained fillings, veneers, crowns and dentures may need replacing after whitening.
Home whitening versus Laser whitening
Advantages of Home whitening
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Guaranteed Whiteness; Keep using the trays until you achieve the shade that you want. There is no limit to how much you use them.
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No whitening is permanent; after completion of treatment use your trays to top up and maintain your tooth shade on a 3 monthly basis.
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Going somewhere special, you have to attend an important work function/ party or wedding...use your trays the night before to brighten your smilie.
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Continue with normal life; use the trays whilst you sleep & continue with normal eating drinking habits.
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Are you a smoker/ heavy coffee/ tea drinker; don't let your colour fade, use your trays to top up more frequently.
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Things that are done gradually, last longer!
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What we found to be the Disadvantages of Laser whitening
​1 kit & 45 minute session per patient; after 45 minutes many patients hadn't achieved the shade that they wanted.
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No whitening is permanent; once your laser whitening fades you will need to repeat the laser procedure, this could be in as little time as 6 months which can be very costly.
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A very high concentrate of whitening gel is used on the teeth which can cause extreme sensitivity.
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Many practices advise to do a combination of laser & home whitening to give you a quick result with a back up incase you aren't happy with the shade; this is expensive, and just doing home whitening will give you the same result.
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Are you a smoker/ heavy coffee/ tea drinker; laser isn't really for you...you may start to see the shade falling within as little as a month.
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Things that are done quickly, fail quickly!
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What about the "Over the counter" products available in pharmacies or online ?
Over-the-counter kits are not recommended as they contain only a small amount of hydrogen peroxide which makes the product less effective. Some also contain mild acids, while others are abrasive. Although these products are cheaper, whitening is a complicated treatment procedure and should only be carried out by a dentist after a thorough examination and assessment of your teeth. It is very important to follow the instructions your dentist gives you, and to make sure that you go for any follow-up appointments recommended.
