DENTISTRY & FACIAL AESTHETICS BESPOKE | CALM | CARING WETHERBY | YORKSHIRE
tOOth whitening
What is tooth whitening?
Tooth whitening lightens and brightens teeth by helping to remove stains and discoloration.
Whitening is among the most popular cosmetic dental procedures because it can greatly improve how your teeth look. Only registered dentists and dental professionals can legally undertake tooth whitening.
Why do teeth become discoloured?
There are several causes for this:
- Food, drinks, smoking, and lifestyle in general
- The environment, e.g. an excessive use of fluoride
- Advancing age – the outer layer of your tooth enamel gets worn with age
- Genetics – some people simply have lighter teeth than others
- Dental hygiene requring improvement – failing to properly remove stain-producing substances, such as coffee or tobacco
- Some diseases and medications can affect enamel, which can lead to discolouration.
Dentist-led home whitening is a safe and reliable method of teeth whitening that guarantees the optimal for all of your teeth.
What is involved?
During a consultation we discuss what you would like to improve about your teeth and their appearance. We need to undertake a full dental assessment. This is to ensure there are no underlying dental health concerns and ensuring you get the best results from any whitening safely.
The application of professional strength whitening gel is done at home, by you, the patient, with the dentist overseeing it during scheduled visits. To achieve this, we utilise custom-made bleaching trays modelled on the impressions of your teeth.
The trays are designed to hold the whitening gel safely on the teeth (either 10% or 16% carbamide peroxide, and sensitivity-reducing ingredients) helping prevent hypersensitivity. We teach you how to apply the gel effectively on your own.
We find that the most consistent way to lighten your teeth is to fabricate some accurate fitting thin teeth trays (similar but MUCH thinner than sports gum shields) that are worn overnight on your teeth.
We use Boutique Whitening, a market leader and multi-award winning tooth whitening system.
It is important to note that existing prosthetic restorations, such as bridges, crowns, fillings, etc. will not be affected by the whitening procedure. Should the contrast be noticeable, it is usually possible for us to replace older dental work with whiter ones that will match the new whiteness of the teeth.
Hypersensitivity to coldness during the whitening process may occur, but it only happens to a small percentage of patients
People’s teeth respond at different rates and we instruct you on dos and don’ts. We then review after 2-4 weeks and analyse the results wit photos comparing before and after appearances of teeth.
Getting the most our of your whitening treatment
At York Place dental Practice we recommend seeing Faye Donald, our hygienist, prior or alongside starting your course of tooth whitening. We find that our patients achieve maximum results after an initial professional clean and Air Flow polish.
How long does it last?
If you consume dark coloured foods and drinks, such as curries, coffee and red wine, then your teeth may start to yellow over the following months after treatment. So you may need regular top ups to maintain the whitened colour. We suggest one top up application per month on average and replacement gel syringes can be bought at the practice.
Useful tooth whitening links and videos
How to load a bleaching tray: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7BP21JFLP4
GDC Considering Tooth Whitening patient leaflet: https://www.gdc-uk.org/patients/illegal-practice/working-legally/tooth-whitening