Your smile is important – a smile is one of the first things people notice when they meet you. A whiter brighter smile helps you feel better about yourself and leaves a memorable impression.
Drinking coffee, tea, coke and red wine, or smoking, as well as the ageing process can stain and darken your teeth.
Teeth whitening can help get your smile looking its best, but you should look for a whitening procedure that is:
At Rawson Dental Epping, we offer two different types of whitening procedures.
In-surgery whitening takes just over an hour while you relax in the chair and our dentist does the lightening process for you.
There´s also a take-home kit you can use to top up your shade before a big event like a wedding or a party, if your teeth start to re-stain.
A customised take-home kit is created for you, but we show you how to apply the whitening gel. This process takes two to four weeks.
Teeth Whitening is a procedure designed to lighten the colour of your teeth using Hydrogen Peroxide (or Carbamide Peroxide) in a gel form.
A significant lightening of teeth colour is achieved for most patients, however results vary for different people. Factors affecting the success of the procedure include:
Tetracycline stains (from an antibiotic that used to be given to children) usually respond to some degree, although optimum results are rare and the treatment might take significantly longer.
Certain conditions can preclude the use of teeth whitening if you:
Teeth and gums might become sensitive following Teeth Whitening. This can be helped by not using the tray of Teeth Whitening gel for a night or reducing the number of hours you wear it. Placing tooth mousse into the trays and wearing it for a few hours after each treatment will help. Symptoms will usually subside within 1-3 days after ceasing the treatment. Ensuring the trays are not overfilled with Teeth Whitening gel will reduce the likelihood of gum sensitivity too.
Tooth colour can be uneven across the surface of the tooth, especially if the tooth was of uneven colour prior to Teeth Whitening. The cervical ? of the tooth is often slightly darker than the incisal ?. White spots or lines on teeth are due to dehydration of the tooth substance and will usually fade within 1-2 weeks after ceasing the treatment. Any cracks within teeth might be seen to lighten more than the surrounding tooth.
As tooth coloured fillings and crowns will not lighten with Teeth Whitening they might need replacing following treatment, although this is left for at least 2 weeks until the tooth colour has stabilised.
Over time the teeth will darken again due to stainings by the foods and drinks you consume, so they might need a top-ups. This is done by wearing the trays for a few nights. The period between top-ups varies for patients and can vary from once every few months to no need for any top-up at all. This will usually be related to the number of staining agents the teeth are exposed to and the level of lightness the patient wants to maintain.
Dr Thuy Le and Dr Tracy Le will advise you if Teeth Whitening is appropriate for you and provide you with further information tailored to your needs.