Tooth whitening is an effective way to lighten your teeth and get a beautiful looking smile for months on end.
Teeth whitening is a process which bleaches the teeth to make them lighter. Teeth whitening cannot make your teeth brilliant white but it can lighten the existing colour by around eight shades and produce a clean fresh finish which covers staining and discolouration.
Generally, teeth whitening does remove stains but it can depend upon the product you use and also what has caused the stains in the first place.
Natural ageing – as we age, our teeth naturally become yellower and darker, this change happens over time as the enamel gets thinner and the dentine darkens. Whitening toothpaste and home whitening kits typically do not work on this type of discolouration. Teeth whitening from your dentist can make a difference to this discolouration – the teeth will appear lighter and brighter but won’t return to the whiteness you had when you were younger
External Tooth Discolouration– this is the most common cause of teeth discolouration and is caused by food containing tannins including tea, coffee, carrots, oranges and other foods which can darken or yellow teeth.
Teeth whitening can work well for stubborn brown or yellow stains. If whitening is not successful then you can discuss other options with your dentist such as veneers which can cover stubborn stains or intrinsic discolouration which doesn’t respond well to teeth whitening treatment..
Teeth whitening is perfectly safe as long as it is carried out by a regulated dental professional.
Teeth whitening is classified as a form of dentistry and can only be carried out by a dentist or other regulated dental professional such as a dental therapist or dental hygienist acting on the advice of a qualified dentist.
Make sure you use a properly qualified and regulated cosmetic dentist to carry out a teeth whitening procedure or you could put your oral health at risk.
Whitening your teeth should only be carried out by a qualified dental professional so DIY home whitening kits can carry risks to your dental health.
Many home kits don’t contain enough of the whitening product to be effective. Under EU regulations, these kits cannot contain more than 0.1% hydrogen peroxide; this is because of the risk of burning or damaging your mouth if the kits are used incorrectly. The Oral Health Foundation or OHF says that this level is far too low to make any noticeable impact on your teeth.
Some kits ignore the regulations and contain far too much of the whitening agent than is legally allowed. Often the mouthguard provided may not fit properly and so some of the bleaching agent can leak out onto your gums and mouth causing sensitivity and even blistering. Some of the home whitening kits can also harm tooth enamel.
There are home whitening kits on the market which originate from outside the UK and clever delivery and marketing can make it appear that they are from a British retailer. Foreign imports are not subject to the same safety regulations and may contain any type and quantity of whitening chemical.
It is illegal for beauty salons to offer teeth whitening services unless they have proper dental qualifications. Many of the kits they use are similar to the ones you can buy for use in the home and are either inadequate or not properly regulated or both.
Teeth whitening is hugely popular which explains the proliferation of home whitening or over the counter kits. Home kits don’t work and will fail to deliver the results which you can achieve with a professional dentist and they can actively harm your oral health too.
There are different ways to whiten and lighten teeth. One process involves the dentist taking an impression of your teeth and using it to make a bespoke mouthguard which you use at home with a bleaching gel following the dentist’s instructions. Using the mouthguard and gel at home, this process can take between two and four weeks. Some gels can be left on for up to eight hours at a time which can short circuit the process so it only takes about a week.
Laser whitening is a different form of lightening treatment. This is also called power whitening. A bleaching agent is painted onto the teeth and then a light or laser is shone onto the teeth to activate the whitening process. This takes about an hour in the dentist’s surgery.
Teeth whitening isn’t a permanent cosmetic adjustment, apart from anything else, your teeth will continue to stain just as they did before. If you can avoid, tea, coffee and red wine then the teeth will stay whiter for longer; the same also applies to smoking.
There is always a risk when you introduce chemicals into your mouth which is why it is so important to use a properly qualified dentist and avoid DIY home whitening kits.
Teeth whitening procedures did use to be unregulated until 2012 when the European Union passed legislation stating that only dental professionals can perform teeth whitening procedures. Even though the UK has now left the EU, this regulation is still in force. EU regulations have also capped the level of the active ingredient used in whitening products at 6% hydrogen peroxide or 16% carbamide peroxide; previously, concentrations of either of these chemicals could be as high as 38%.
Teeth whitening doesn’t work on dentures, veneers or crowns.
Stain removal is a procedure usually carried out by a dental hygienist where teeth are cleaned with an ultrasonic scaler and hand instruments to remove accumulated plaque deposits. The teeth are then polished usually using a powerful combination of water, air and fine powder which removes surfaces stains and early calculus. The results are impressive and many people opt for stain removal before they then have teeth whitening treatment for the maximum impact.
Teeth whitening is different because it actually changes the colour of your teeth
