Teeth Whitening
Your smile makes a big impression. Teeth Whitening is the most popular cosmetic dental procedure because it can greatly improve how your teeth look. At our practice we offer a few options with competitive price for teeth whitening. Call us to discuss.
What is it?
What is it used for?
Teeth can become stained and discoloured due to following reasons:
- Using tobacco
- Drinking dark coloured liquids such as coffee, cola, tea and red wine
- Not taking good care of your teeth
- Age
- Intrinsic staining caused by use of certain medications as a child.
Teeth whitening improves the appearance as in the above conditions
Preparation
It is highly recommended to have your teeth checked before whitening treatment. Other dental problems can affect the success of tooth whitening. For example, if you have cavities or receding gums, the whitening process may make your teeth sensitive and may not yield the desired effect.
How it’s done?
Teeth whitening is done in two ways at our practice:
At Home – Take home whitening involves taking moulds of your teeth that allow us to make custom-fitted whitening trays. Syringes of bleaching material are provided which are carefully dispensed into your whitening trays, as instructed by your dentist. These trays need to be worn consecutively for approximately 2 weeks, either during the day or at night, depending on the bleaching system provided. Compliance is especially important to see results!
In-Chair – In-chair whitening is completed within the dental surgery to provide instant results and takes roughly an hour and a half to complete. The procedure begins with protecting the cheeks/lips and gum and then applying whitening gel onto the tooth surface. With certain products, a blue light is placed over the teeth to activate and promote whitening. As the gel is stronger, in-chair whitening can cause temporary sensitivity, depending on the nature of your teeth, with the sensitivity lingering after the procedure up to 24-48hrs. The sensation can however be managed with simple pain relief medication, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen and sensitive toothpaste.
Follow up
Whitening is not a permanent solution. Stains may come back. If you smoke or consume a lot of staining foods or drinks, you may see the whiteness fade in as little as a month. If you avoid these sources of staining, you may not need another whitening treatment for 6 to 12 months.
Risks
Whitening is unlikely to cause serious side effects, although some people’s teeth may become more sensitive for a short time. Women should not have their teeth whitened while pregnant. The effect of whitening materials on development of foetus is not known.