Tooth Whitening
Tooth Whitening is the No.1 requested and performed cosmetic dental procedure in the UK. In everyday life the microscopic pores of your teeth are pigmented with substances such as red wine, coffee and tobacco. These, in conjunction with age related changes gives your smile a stained and discoloured appearance. Tooth Whitening lightens teeth and helps to remove stains and discoloration. It is effective in 95% of patients to brighten discolouration of teeth.
Tooth Whitening is the ideal procedure to have just before that important social occasion allowing you to have a radiant smile in all of your photos.
A variety of options are available today for you to brighten your smile, but dentist-supervised treatments remain the safest and most effective way to a brighter whiter smile. Your dentist will conduct an initial consultation and a thorough assessment. The options appropriate to your case will then be thoroughly discussed with you to provide a customised Tooth Whitening procedure.
Laser Whitening Video:
What is tooth whitening?
A simple technique using hydrogen peroxide to lighten the shade of your teeth. This is Smile Cliniq's most popular procedure to dramatically improve your appearance, at significantly less cost and inconvenience than other techniques.
How does it work?
Tooth Whitening is most effective on surface stains caused by age, or pigmented foods and drinks. The whitening of your tooth occurs due to breakdown of the peroxide gel providing highly active oxygen free radicals. These effectively break up the unattractive pigmented molecules causing the stain to be removed, providing you with a brighter whiter smile.
The lighter the stain the easier it is to whiten. The most severe discolouration (e.g. tetracycline staining) may require a longer period of active Tooth Whitening with subsequent veneers.
Over the counter systems are not on a par with Smile Cliniq approved products. They differ in the type of chemical used and its active concentration. Scientific literature and research indicates dentist-monitored Tooth Whitening is the most effective and safest way to lighten discoloured teeth.
You may have existing tooth coloured restorations such as crowns or white fillings, these will not alter in shade.
How white will my teeth get?
This is your choice. Generally the longer you bleach your teeth the whiter they become. In today's cosmetic conscious society shades accepted in the past have been superseded by the pearlescent whites that people now accept as normal. The general dental consensus is the shade of the teeth should match the whiteness of a person's eye.
How about whitening toothpastes?
These generally contain too little of any active Tooth Whitening material to provide a true whitening result. Instead the product is likely to contain an abrasive material, which physically removes layers of your tooth. This gives an apparent whiter tooth but with a dull appearance.
Procedure
A preoperative shade of your teeth is taken prior to commencing any Tooth Whitening procedure. Once your treatment is complete, a post-operative shade is taken. Depending on location, we maybe able to offer professional photography to show you at your best. Subsequent to this:
Smile Cliniq offers this commonly prescribed cosmetic dental procedure in two clinically proven and safe systems:
1)Custom Home Tooth Whitening
On your initial visit to the Smile Cliniq dental practice, your dentist will take an impression (mould) of you teeth. From this, a customised tray is made to snugly fit to your teeth. These trays ensure that there is minimal leakage and maximum cosmetic effect
Once constructed the trays will be checked for accuracy of fit and specific instructions will be provided on your tooth-whitening regime. Customised trays are loaded with the easily applicable peroxide gel and worn for between 2 and 4 hours for up to 8 days.
A brief visit after active treatment to your dentist ensures that a Tooth Whitening effect has occurred and that you are pleased with your result.
2)Power Bleaching - In House Tooth Whitening
In house Tooth Whitening is carried out by one of our dentists at the Smile Cliniq dental practice. This system is perfect for those who want an instant result. State of the art equipment is used to whiten and brighten your smile by up to 8 shades in only 60 minutes.
Your teeth maybe professionally polished to ensure optimal efficacy of the Tooth Whitening procedure. Your dentist protects your gums and surrounding tissues with a barrier membrane. The active tooth-whitening agent is then applied to your teeth. A light shined onto the Tooth Whitening gel to allow maximum activity of the carbamide peroxide. The Tooth Whitening gel is replaced several times during the procedure to give optimal results.
Once the treatment period is completed you will be shown how in 60 minutes your dentist has transformed your smile into the smile of your dreams.
Occasionally a combination of two treatment types maybe used to ensure optimal results.
What are the common side effects?
The majority of Smile Cliniq’s patients undergo Tooth Whitening without any adverse effect. A small number of patients may experience mild sensitivity and/or irritation of the gums. There are several ways in which this can be resolved, in the vast majority symptoms settle within the first few days.
Recall and Review
Cigarette smoking, tea, coffee, red wine and other pigmented substances are best avoided in the initial post-operative period. If these specific instructions are not followed you may see the whiteness start to fade in as little as one month.
After a period of time, due to the nature of today's lifestyles you may notice that the whiteness of your smile may have faded. Many people undergo a yearly "top up" procedure to maintain their bright white smile. You must discuss your whitening schedule with your dentist and, talk about products that would work best for you.
It is important to employ a strict oral hygiene regime encompassing professional hygiene intervention. You will be shown the most appropriate method to ensure optimal oral health. Regular recall and review is essential to ensure an optimal status of your smile.
