Over time, teeth pick up stains from the food and drink that we consume which can cause teeth to look darker or our faces to look older. Whitening is one of a few ways to give your smile a new glimmer.
What is it?
Tooth whitening is a minimally invasive way to improve the colour of your natural teeth resulting in a lighter & brighter smile, regardless of whether they have darkened with age or from food, drink & tobacco.
How does it work?
Our whitening agent diffuses into the tooth and breaks up any big colour compounds which are present as a result of ageing or from tea, coffee, wine, curries and smoking. Once these big compounds are broken up, they lift out of the tooth surface resulting in a lightening in colour.
In the UK, carbamide peroxide is the main whitening agent used. It is completely safe in individuals who do not have an allergy to it (which is. Incredibly rare).
How long does it take?
Your teeth can be whitened in as little as an hour if you have in-surgery treatment, or gradually over a 2-3-week period if you do them at home. Our in-surgery treatment is fantastic if you have a special event around the corner and want an accelerated start to your whitening journey. Our home whitening system (which is included as a complimentary extra to our in-surgery treatment) gives a long-lasting stable colour and puts you in the driving seat, letting you control how white you go.
What are the benefits?
The biggest benefit of whitening is that your teeth will never go back to their original colour and maintaining that colour is very easy to do. We can provide you with additional whitening agent as needed to ‘top up’ your colour as and when you feel the need. Moreover, it does not damage your natural tooth in the way that veneers do. This means you keep your natural teeth for longer.
In my experience whitening your teeth in a great confidence booster! I love to do mine before weddings and parties to give myself a bit of a boost.
Is there anything else I should know?
If you have had any previous tooth-coloured restorations like composite bonding, white fillings, crowns or veneers, they will not whiten. They may need replacing and this will be at an additional cost. I will discuss this with you prior to starting your whitening journey.
Some teeth don’t whiten as well as others and we may need to do some additional treatment to achieve the perfect smile. In this situation, your whitening will optimise the appearance of your teeth, making any treatment we need to do subsequently less invasive.