Teeth whitening is an effective way of lightening the natural colour of your teeth without causing any damage to your teeth and gums. Tooth whitening can effectively lighten stains caused by foods, drinks and smoking. It can also improve stained teeth caused by some medications and the general ageing process.
The Law on Teeth Whitening
In 2012 new regulations where brought into effect, stating that teeth whitening is a dental procedure and as such should only be carried out by qualified dental professionals. This means that any beautician, hairdresser or salon staff offering tooth whitening will not have the necessary knowledge or training and are actually breaking the law by offering tooth whitening.
Regulation was also bought into effect to limit the strength of the whitening solutions used. Dentists can use solutions up to a maximum of 6% hydrogen peroxide whereas over the counter products and kits can only contain 0.1% hydrogen peroxide. This would be considered too low to have any noticeable effect on the colour of your teeth. So if you are looking for a safe and effective way to whiten your teeth consider asking your dentist at your next appointment.
At Home Tooth Whitening
Here at West Wickham Dental Practice we are able to offer at home teeth whitening
You will first need to attend the surgery for a consultation prior to starting your teeth whitening treatment. Our experienced dentist will be able to explain the sort of results that you can hope to achieve and the time frame for you to start to see results. She will also explain how the tooth whitening solution will only brighten the natural colour of your teeth. This means if you have crowns, veneers, bridges or dentures the whitening process will not affect the colour of these. This means it may be necessary to remake any dental restorations following whitening treatment so that they continue to match seamlessly with the new, brighter colour of your teeth.
Treatment
The dentist will first take impressions of your teeth. These are then used to create bespoke whitening trays. The dentist will show you how to apply the whitening gel to the trays and will explain how long and how often you will need to wear the trays depending on how quickly you are looking to get results.Side Effects on Teeth Whitening
You may experience some sensitivity while you are whitening your teeth but this should subside within a couple of days of completing treatment. It may be a good idea to use a sensitive toothpaste during this time. Long term there are no negative side effects to teeth whitening and it can help to improve the health of gums.
We would expect the results to last for around 2 years although most people will have a top up treatment every six months.