Tooth Whitening
A bright, beautiful smile gives you confidence and makes you feel good about yourself. Teeth whitening or bleaching is a wonderful way to brighten your smile. It is simple, safe, effective and affordable and can be performed in the comfort of your own home. If you feel your teeth are too yellow or too dark, we can evaluate your smile to see if you are a good candidate for whitening.
For more stubborn stains, in office monitored bleaching may also be an option.
How Does Tooth Whitening Work?
In most cases, the natural colour of teeth is within a range of light greyish-yellow shades. Teeth naturally darken with age and their appearance can be affected by the accumulation of surface stains acquired from the use of tobacco products and the consumption of foods or drink such as red wine, tea and coffee.
Simply put, enamel is porous, which means staining agents can work their way down into the tooth, where you can't simply brush them away. The deeper stains are usually harmless, but many people find them unattractive. This is where true tooth whiteners come in. Basically, the whiteners use bleaching agents to get down into the tooth enamel and set off an oxidation reaction that breaks apart the staining compounds. This reaction does not damage the enamel but can cause some temporary sensitivity.
It is also important to note that existing dental work is not porous like enamel and will therefore not respond to whitening agents. Other esthetic treatments such as bonding and veneers are options to update existing worn or discoloured restorations.
These days, there are many options for tooth whitening, both over the counter and professionally dispensed. The key features of a successful whitening system are:
- Tight fitting trays that mold to your teeth to maximize contact between the teeth and the whitening solution. Trays that do not fit properly will allow your natural saliva to wash away the whitening product. We provide a custom lab processed tray that allows maximum contact between the whitening agent and your teeth.
- A strong whitening product –generally, the stronger the product the better the results. Over the counter products usually contain 4-6% active ingredient while professionally dispensed products are around 10-22% active ingredient.
To find out if tooth whitening will work for you, ask us at your next visit.
