22 Jul Do You Wish Your Teeth Were A Little Whiter?

Do you ever look at your teeth and wish they were a little whiter? Have you tried all the whitening toothpastes on the shelves of the supermarket but still not had much change? Perhaps you’ve even tried whitening strips?

All of these methods will help keep your teeth clean but they have little or no impact on the colour of your teeth.

As we get older our teeth can discolour and certain foods and drinks, tea, coffee, red wine can add to the changes.

Professional tooth whitening carried out by a dental professional can really make a difference. Why?

Dental professionals are the only team of professionals regulated to be able to use up to 6% Hydrogen Peroxide to whiten your teeth. As yet, there is no other product that will whiten your teeth safely, reliably and with predictable results. Other products may promise results but this usually occurs by drying the tooth out temporarily. As soon as moisture returns so does the true colour.

There are generally two respected ways to whiten teeth in dentistry:-

1. Home Whitening
2. In Surgery “Laser” Whitening

The second system is considerably more expensive than the first. It produces instant results, however, research has shown that the results are no better than home whitening and often actually require a degree of home whitening to maintain the whiteness.

At Thackeray Dental Care we use the first system and find it is very well received by our patients.

The steps involved:-

1. An initial dental check , to see if whitening is suitable for you. Have you got any leaky fillings, crowns, bridges? Maybe you require a dental hygienist visit?
2. Once you are dentally fit we will take impressions of your teeth to construct custom made trays to fit your teeth. These are a little like sports guards but much thinner and less bulky.
3. We check the fit of the trays and give you your whitening gels and instruct you in their usage. We use a 10% Carbamide Peroxide gel which releases the active ingredients Hydrogen Peroxide at 3%. This gel whitens well whilst not producing too many of the side effects stronger concentrations can elicit such as sensitivity.
4. After a two week period we see you again to check the results.

We recommend that the whitening gels need to be in contact with the teeth for at least three hours to be effective and so we generally advise night time wear of the trays and gel. It is also possible to use them during the day if you prefer. It usually takes from 5-10 applications to get the results you are looking for, sometimes, it may take longer.

Once you have had this initial burst of whitening you may need to have occasional “top ups”. The beauty of this system is that the trays are yours to keep and with care they may last a couple of years. You can then purchase more gel, with guidance, as you need – usually every few months for a brighten up.

Tooth whitening is proving to be a very popular treatment and is often used alongside other treatments, for instance, teeth straightening, changing crowns, bridges and so on.

All our dentists and dental hygienists can advise you about your suitability for tooth whitening. Our tooth whitening systems also prove to be economical with prices starting from just £149 so do contact the practice to start smiling brighter!

Ring 01623 629359

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