What is tooth whitening?

Your smile makes an immediate impact on everyone you meet. A bright white smile gives you a youthful and healthy appearance. Professional tooth whitening can deliver excellent whitening results in a short period.

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 may lighten the existing shade.

There are a number of reasons why you might get your teeth whitened. Everyone is different; and just as our hair and skin colour vary, so do our teeth.Your teeth can also be stained on the surface by food and drinks such as tea, coffee, red wine and blackcurrant. Smoking can also stain teeth.

Professional bleaching is the most usual method of tooth whitening. Your dental team will be able to tell you if you are suitable for the treatment, and will supervise it if you are.

Basically two types 1) in-office whitening, 2) at-home whitening.

In- office whitening will usually takes about one hour and if you wish to whiten your teeth at home, your dentist can take an impression of your teeth and gums in order to make custom teeth whitening trays. Treatment involves placing whitening gel in the trays and wearing them for a set amount of time each day for 1 to 3 weeks. The time spent wearing the trays will depend on the concentration of the whitening solution and the level of whiteness you’re trying to achieve.

The ‘active ingredient' in the product is usually hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. As the active ingredient is broken down, oxygen gets into the enamel on the teeth and the tooth colour is made lighter.