Teeth Whitening

Although teeth naturally have a range of colour from one person to the next, this colour tends to darken with age due to environmental factors such as exposure to tobacco and consumption of tea, coffee and other food products.

Many people feel it is desirable to have a whiter smile. It can make you more attractive, self-confident, appear more intelligent and successful. This cosmetic procedure is best done by a dentist. Professionally obtained teeth whitening in a dental clinic, will save you time and often achieve better results than typical at home over the counter products. It is now easier than ever to achieve the bright sparkly smile of your dreams. While this may give the appearance of healthier teeth, it should be noted that these procedures are cosmetic and that good oral hygiene and regular dental care are an essential cornerstone of good health.

Teeth whitening can be either be composed of a surface whitener or a bleaching system.Surface whiteners tend to gently scrub teeth to eliminate stains on the teeth surface, without harm. They may provide some benefit, but their results are limited and should not substitute a professional cleaning or whitening in a professional dental clinic.

Before using any home-based bleaching system a consultation to a professional dentist can assist you in unveiling the root cause of any tooth yellowing or staining and predict the effectiveness and safety of any treatment. These systems use a weaker concentrate that is available professionally to a dentist. More time is often required and the results less effective. Fitting of the enclosed standard dental trays may not fit everyone, thus gum irritation and tooth sensitivity can occur from the enclosed product.

For the best, safest, effective and timeliest results, a professional teeth whitening treatment from our dental clinic is recommended. Vital bleaching is completed on teeth considered alive, with active blood supply. Non-vital bleaching is completed on teeth with a portion of the dental pulp removed such as in root canal treatment. Methods and products vary and a consultation to determine the best individual approach is suggested. Bleaching may involve a bleach compound activated with heat. A second approach is to have a custom mouthguard fabricated to best fit a patient’s mouth, ensuring the bleaching agent or gel is safely applied to teeth, minimizing irritation to the gums. Thirdly, a toothpaste based bleaching gel may be recommended. All methods may need to be redone eventually as the desired effect is long-lasting, but not eternal.

We are happy to provide you with the Beyond™ Whitening Accelerator, an advanced technology. This laser light operates at a lower temperature than other systems and filters out ultraviolet light. It is power whitening at its finest. This is completed in a single visit and is a popular choice at our dental clinic. Once your teeth are professionally cleaned, a teeth whitening gel is administered and sometimes a pre-treatment whitening boost for difficult stains. The laser light allows a deeper absorption of the gel through the tooth enamel.

For a dentist-supervised home whitening system, in our dental practices we use the new Beyond® StayWhite Professional Whitening System. It is a successful aesthetic treatment with great results. It features a take home whitening tray with easy formats for patients to administer their own whitening gel.