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Teeth Whitening
Teeth whitening is the process of removing stains and discolouration from teeth through a bleaching process to make them look “whiter”.
For heavily stained teeth, a procedure as simple as a scale and polish from a dental hygienist can significantly improve their appearance and make them look "whiter". We offer two types of whitening:
- Laser / in-surgery Teeth Whitening
- Laser teeth whitening or in-surgery whitening is a procedure that takes place at the dental practice and uses a light-activated bleaching gel to whiten your teeth. The procedure usually takes approx 1 -2 hours and produces instant whitening results. Many dentists recommend that laser whitening should be followed up by professional home whitening.
- Professional home whitening kits
- To make a professional home whitening kit, your dentist will take a impression (mould) of your teeth using a special dental putty. Your dentist’s technician will then use this to cast a model of your teeth from plaster and make your custom teeth whitening trays from this. Once these trays have been made (usually takes 5-10 days) you use them in combination with professional whitening gel (provided by your dentist) until you are happy with the results. Depending on the teeth whitening system, some trays need to be worn overnight while others for only 1-2 hours a day.
Both procedures are based on a bleaching process that uses a peroxide-based bleaching gel of varying strength (3%-30% peroxide). The higher the concentration of peroxide in the gel, the more powerful it is. While a higher concentration gel is more effective at whitening the teeth, it also has greater potential to cause side effects such as sensitivity and damage to the surrounding gum tissue and your lips.
Many people are not suitable for teeth whitening and a dentist will assess your suitability during a consultation. If you have gum disease or other dental health problems, you may not be suitable. The teeth whitening process does not change the colour of crowns, veneers or fillings so it is important to understand that you may need to change these to match the colour of your whitened teeth.
