Teeth Whitening

Great results with a safe, reliable and predictable method for a smile that sparkles

Whitewash

Tooth whitening is a great way to improve the appearance of your teeth without any damage to the tooth surface – Minimal Intervention Dentistry. We use the Whitewash system which has the active ingredient of Hydrogen Peroxide that whitens your teeth.

We will see you for an assessment and make sure you are dentally healthy then we will construct custom made trays for you to apply the whitening gel. The gel can be applied overnight or for a few hours during the day, whichever is more convenient for you.

You will start to see a change after the first treatment and we usually recommend an initial treatment period of 5-10 days to get the result you would like. This tray and gel system works really well as you can then continue to top up your whitening as you need. Maintenance is required and a short treatment over night every few months helps keep your smile bright.

Common Questions and Answers about Teeth Whitening

Other ways to whiten teeth

As with many things in dentistry there are often a variety of ways to solve the same problem. The rule of thumb is generally to look at how much the teeth need to be whitened by:

• Mild whitening required – if only a small amount of whitening is required for example is the teeth have stains from red wine, tea or smoking then sometimes air abrasion can be used. This doesn’t actually whitening the teeth themselves but simply removes the surface stained causing the dark look. The procedure is quick, can be done in one visit and usually requires no anaesthetic.
• Medium whitening required – this is where home teeth whitening with the whitening gel often works best. The whitening system will use the  hydrogen peroxide gel to whiten the colour of your teeth, this will always be done after any surface stains have been removed.
• Maximum whitening required – sometimes teeth whitening on its own is not enough, particularly if there is severe tooth discolouration caused by trauma and the tooth has died and become black. In this instance dental bonding can be used to cover the surface of the tooth or possibly dental veneers.

Is teeth whitening safe

So long as the teeth whitening is carried out by a qualified dental professional then yes, teeth whitening is safe. teeth whitening potentially only becomes unsafe when it is carried out by non-dental personnel, for example beauty therapists. This is because the whitening gel can burn the delicate gum area if it is left in contact for too long, for this reason the whitening mouth tray is custom and precision made to fit exactly around the teeth and prevent this happening. A beauty therapist will also not be able to spot signs of gum disease which could be aggravated by whitening or excessive amounts of tartar on the teeth which will need to be removed prior to the whitening process.

How long does teeth whitening last

There is no hard and fast rule about how long teeth whitening lasts for, however you can expect results to last from a few months up to about 3 years. If you maintain your oral hygiene after whitening, cut down on food, drink and habits which could cause stains such as tea, coffee, red wine and smoking then the teeth whitening will last longer.