Teeth Whitening
One of the most common answers that patients give us when we ask
whether they are happy with their smile, is that they would like a brighter, whiter
smile. We have the ability nowadays to lighten the colour of your smile without needing to remove a single piece of your tooth tissue. And even better, it’s often done in your own home, by you; you’re in the driving seat!
Not only are there aesthetic benefits to a whiter smile, but there are also oral health benefits. Carbamide peroxide has been shown to improve:
Better gum health
It increases the level of oxygen in the mouth hence improving blood flow to your gums
Improved oral hygiene
Due to your teeth looking better it is going to encourage you to take much better care of your mouth especially as you are investing the time and the money
Improved self-esteem
You will feel much better about yourself as your confidence improves with a brighter, cleaner smile
Improvement of tooth decay on root surfaces that are not protected by enamel
A study carried out in 2007 showed a reduction in the level of tooth decay on root surfaces during and after tooth whitening
Tooth whitening is generally the first option we recommend if you are unhappy with your smile. This is the least invasive method to improve the look of your teeth.
Many different things can cause discolouration of the teeth.
Yellowing of the teeth
This is often associated with ageing, diet, and smoking, and some foods and drinks can cause this type of discolouration.
Medical problems
Unfortunately, some of us will have deeper set stains caused by medical problems as an infant or child. This can cause white opaque spots on the teeth.
Tetracycline
This is rarer these days, however, some patients were prescribed this antibiotic long-term to treat some medical conditions as an infant. Unfortunately, this causes a banding-type discolouration on the teeth which can be extremely difficult to live with for the patient.
Trauma
Some stains or pits and dimples can be caused by trauma as a child. Even if the adult tooth has not yet grown into the mouth, simply banging the equivalent baby tooth can cause damage to the underlying developing adult tooth. Trauma can also cause one or multiple teeth to “die” if knocked severely enough causing it to discolour at any point during the patient’s life.
Fluorosis
Some parts of the country have had the water “fluoridated”. This means that fluoride has been added to the mains water supply to strengthen the teeth of that population. Excessive exposure to this can cause white spots, yellow or orange spots. They can also have pits in them.
Tooth whitening can be very simple for many patients, however some of these more complex cases require more closer monitoring and management.
We will assess what sort of category you fall into and discuss your treatment needs to get you to where you want to be. Smiling with much more confidence and with a brighter set of pearly whites!
Tooth whitening can be carried out very simply with a home whitening system alone if you are suitable for this treatment.
If you have higher needs and require a little more treatment to get you to where you would like to be, we will of course discuss with you.
More advanced tooth whitening cases may require additional treatment following the tooth whitening, such as microabrasion to smooth out any pits or dimples and to smooth out any white spots or defects. We may also use a technique called “Resin Information”. This is a technique where we flow material into the whiter spots on a microscopic scale to fill in these small deficiencies. Both of these techniques are non-invasive and do not require any tooth removal. Amazing!
It’s time to book.
