Teeth whitening

What problem does tooth whitening solve?

Tooth whitening can be a very effective way of lightening the natural colour of your teeth without removing any of the tooth surface It cannot make a complete colour change but it can lighten the existing colour by several shades.

What can be done if your natural tooth colour is greyish, yellowish, or just not as bright as you would like? Not to worry, we have solutions, and not just one of them! We can make a ceramic bridge over all of your teeth, like the stars in Hollywood do. But let’s assume you wish to take a less drastic approach. Let’s look at all the options available to you if you want whiter teeth but are reluctant to have them worn down, do not wish to spend too much on them, and do not have the time to visit your dentist on multiple occasions. The new breed of tooth whitening treatments are extremely effective, and because of the strict regulations involved in health care products, are very gentle and have just enough active ingredients to get the job down. You need not be afraid of any pain or damage to your teeth, so you can enjoy your new, bright smile directly after treatmet is done..

1. At home Tooth whitening

There are procedures that are safe to perform in your own home and that can effectively whiten your teeth to a certain degree. Certain fruits, like strawberries and lemons are highly acidic, and rubbing your teeth with them can whiten your teeth, and sodium bicarbonate has been used as a tooth whitening method since the 19th century.

You should be careful when using these methods, as overuse can damage your tooth enamel. Make sure you do not whiten too often, and that you leave 3 or 4 months in between sessions.

2. Chair side tooth whitening

During the course of a chair side whitening session, we change the colour of the tooth in question chemically. Our expert dentist or dental hygienist uses a special tooth whitening gel that oxidizes, or bleaches the stains away. The gel is isolated form the soft tissues and the saliva, to make sure that the gel only affects the tooth surfaces. You can expect your teeth to be up to 4 shades lighter after a chair side tooth whitening session.

The first step is to dry the tooth surfaces, and to apply the gel to them using a special brush. The teeth are coated in about 2 millimetres of the gel, and the gel is activated using a special light that is shone on the teeth for 30 second intervals, with 10 seconds of break between them. The shade of the teeth will probably darken after 3 weeks, but the shade that is reached afterwards should remain stable. During these three weeks, foods that are likely to stain your teeth or have strong pigmentation should be avoided, so nicotine, coffee, tea, red win or fruit juice are off limits. You can curb the discolouration of your teeth with circumspect oral hygiene, and the responsible use of whitening tooth paste.

Chair side whitening does not cause any lasting negative effects! Although it does dry out the teeth, and can cause them to be sensitive to temperature and pressure, these are only temporary effects, and go away by themselves, but there are certain products (like gels and ointments used for tooth sensitivity) that can speed up the healing process.

3. At home tooth whitening kits

We stock at home tooth whitening kits at our dental clinic which contain everything you could need for brightening your smile at home. The kits include tooth whitening gel, which does most of the work, and the trays which you place over your teeth, which make at our dental facilities just for your teeth.

The at home tooth whitening gel is the same that we use in our clinic, but is somewhat lower concentration. The treatment should last between 10 and 14 days, with the gel being applied every day for a couple of hours. At the end of the treatment, your teeth should be 4-5 shades brighter, and the effect can last up o1-2 years, depending on lifestyle and environmental factors.

Keep in mind:

• The procedure is ineffective at whitening artificial teeth (crowns, bridges, tooth fillings)
• You may experience sensitivity directly after treatment. This is normal and should subside in a few hours
• You should avoid food and drinks that can stain your teeth in the few days following a tooth whitening session
• Individual reactions to tooth whitening may vary, and this can affect the outcome of the whitening session