Tooth Whitening
Tooth whitening is a quick and cheap way to dramatically improve someone's appearance. Whitening uses oxidising agents on intrinsic stains by converting coloured material into non-coloured material. The advantages of tooth whitening are that it is a quick, safe, painless procedure that brings back the natural colour of the teeth with no structural change.
How is tooth enlightenment achieved
We use purpose made mouth trays, which are virtually unnoticeable. These are filled with a small amount of active gel and are morn for varying lengths of time until a sufficient result has been achieved. It is imperative that this regime is strictly adhered to for the optimum results.
What result can I expect?
It is possible in the majority of cases to lighten the teeth up to three shades. This can easily be demonstrated by the use of a shade guide. Some teeth are easier to lighten than others; your dentist will be able to advice on your individual expectation. It is important to be aware that the process will not lighten previously placed restorations, whether they are filling, crowns or veneers and consequently for a complete improvement some replacements may be necessary.
What are the side effects
The only side effect of the whole treatment may be s slight increase in tooth sensitivity. This can be corrected by desensitising toothpaste.
Is whitening permanent?
According to research the teeth should maintain their new shade for a considerable time period. However, occasional top ups may be required to keep that bring smile.
What is the cost of the treatment
For construction of upper and lower mouth trays and provision of whitening kit costs £205.
The procedures
The procedure of lightening the tooth's natural colour has been around for many years; however due to the various chemical agents involved it has not been a particularly predictable result and up to a year or so ago was actually banned by an E.E.C. directive from use by dentists in Britain, even though it was continually available in the U.S.A. However, due to advanced research and modification of the technique, it has now been made available and completely safe for our use, although it is not recommended on children under the age of 16.
At present there are two main ways of achieving tooth enlightenment. One is by the use of purpose made mouthtrays which are very compact and virtually unnoticeable. These are filled with a small amount of the active jelly and are worn for around an hour at a time, every day continually for anything up to three weeks, or until a sufficient result has been achieved. It is imperative that this regime is strictly adhered to for the optimum results. At present we are using two main brands in order to get the most efficient; one is tasteless the other comes in a variety of pleasant flavours.
The other method is by using a gel activated by a special light, a plasma arc curing light. This is done in the surgery, and takes in total approximately an hour and a half which, if more convenient, can be split into two sessions.
Both of these procedures are totally painless and the only side effect of the whole treatment may be a slight increase in tooth sensitivity, which can be corrected with desensitising toothpaste.
It is possible in the majority of cases to lighten the teeth up to three shades, which can easily be demonstrated by the use of a shade guide. Some teeth are easier to lighten than others, your dentist will be able to advise on your individual expectations upon request.
According to research the teeth should maintain their new shade for a considerable number of years but, if at any time they should require a top-up, the time taken should be considerably reduced than the initial procedure.
It is important that patients realise that the process will not lighten any previously place restorations, whether they be fillings, crowns or veneers and consequently patients must aware that for a complete improvement some replacement may be necessary.
The cost at present is £205 for both upper and lower arches using the tray system and £245 using the plasma arc system. The increased cost of the latter is due to the extra in surgery time required; however, it also gives a more controllable result in a much shorter period of time. This price does not include any replacement restorations necessary, as explained above. If you are interested please ask for a consultation.