Cosmetic Dentistry Teeth Whitening

Teeth Whitening is the process of making your teeth ‘whiter’ by removing stains and discolouration.

An alternative to this cosmetic dentistry treatment is a scale and polish from a hygienist that will significantly improve how your teeth look.

What are the different types of teeth whitening available?

In Surgery Teeth Whitening

In surgery teeth whitening is performed at the cosmetic dental practice. It uses a light-activated bleaching gel to whiten the teeth.

This takes about one or two hours - with instant results.

For the maximum effect, in surgery teeth whitening can be followed up with professional home whitening.

Professional home whitening kits

To make a professional home whitening kit, the Loughton Dental Spa’s professional cosmetic dentists will take an impression of your teeth using special dental putty.

The dentist’s technician will use to make a model of your teeth from plaster and make custom teeth whitening trays from this.

These take one or two weeks to make. Use them in combination with Loughton Dental Spa’s professional whitening gel until you are happy with the results.

Some trays need to be worn overnight while others for only one or two hours a day.

Home whitening kits usually have a low concentration of peroxide so that there is less chance of any damage occurring.

Recently, high-strength home whitening kits purchased online and from certain stores have attracted media attention with horror stories of people with badly burnt lips and gums. It's for this reason that teeth whitening should always be carried out under the supervision of a cosmetic dentist.

These procedures both involve bleaching - using a peroxide-based bleaching gel. The higher the peroxide level of the gel, the stronger it is.

However, it is important to get the balance right because a higher concentration gel can cause side effects such as sensitivity and damage to the surrounding gum tissue and your lips.

FAQs

Suitability for whitening

Some people are not suitable for teeth whitening. The dentist will assess your suitability during a consultation.

If you have gum disease or other dental health problems, you may not be suitable.

A teeth-whitening process will not change colour of crowns, veneers or fillings. These may need to be changed to suit the colour of your teeth.

How much whiter will my teeth look?

It depends on both the individual and the type of whitening system used.

Some people respond very well to teeth whitening and have dramatically whiter teeth as a result, whereas others may notice very little difference at all.

Heavily stained yellow teeth tend to have much more dramatic results than those with slightly discoloured teeth. A dentist will be able to advise you on the likely results following a consultation.

Does it hurt? What are the side effects of teeth whitening?

Although some people experience no pain or sensitivity with their teeth, the majority of people will experience some kind of sensitivity either during and/or after the initial treatment.

This is described as sporadic, sharp shooting pains coming from their teeth. However, this disappears after 48 hours though. A special gel or mousse to apply to your teeth will help with the sensitivity.

You should avoid hot or cold food and drinks within this period.