Tooth Whitening – Is it for you?

Results differ between patients. This image may not reflect your result.

Do you want whiter looking teeth? Have you noticed that over time, they have changed colour?

There are two reasons why our teeth can appear more ‘yellow’. It can be due in external factors, which can be caused by our diet, smoking or poor oral hygiene, which have resulted in staining our teeth. It can also be due to internal factors within the tooth structures such enamel or dentine defects, having high doses of antibiotics or fluoride as a young child. It is normal for your teeth to appear more ‘yellow’ over time. This is because the outermost layer of tooth structure that you can see is the enamel, which is actually translucent. The different shades of colour that we can see in our teeth is due to the underlying tooth structure called dentine, which can become more ‘yellow’ or darker over time.

There’s many tooth whitening products available, but it can be overwhelming to decide on the right one for you and which one is actually effective. It is important to be aware that some toothpastes which advertise to ‘remove stains’ can in fact do more damage to your tooth. This is because these toothpastes, contain abrasive particles, which can remove staining, but also the enamel surface.

SmileCo’s tooth whitening products contain Hydrogen Peroxide. This is known to cause the enamel structure to appear whiter. There are a few whitening toothpastes available in the supermarket which contain Hydrogen Peroxide, however at very low percentages, which can take a very long time to have any whitening effects.

We have two types of tooth whitening products available at SmileCo: Home whitening or In-Chair whitening. The at home whitening takes approximately one and a half weeks to take effect as there is a lower concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide. Some patients may have mild existing sensitivity and prefer home whitening as high concentrations of Hydrogen Peroxide can increase sensitivity. The In-Chair whitening takes approximately 2 hours and you should be able to see the results at the end of the appointment. As the tooth whitening for In-Chair whitening occurs more rapidly, there is a higher concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide which can increase the risk of post-whitening tooth sensitivity.

It important for you to recognise that with any tooth whitening the result is guaranteed as every tooth and mouth is different. Images you may see of people that have had tooth whitening may or may not be the same result you would see. Tooth whitening is a cosmetic procedure and we need to ensure that your oral health is optimal before we proceed with the tooth whitening and that your understanding of the results is educated. It is essential for us to ensure that you are the right candidate for tooth whitening as it is not appropriate for every patient. Please make a complimentary whitening consult with one of our lovely oral health therapists or hygienists to discuss the procedure, costs and potential outcomes.