Everybody wants whiter teeth, but what is involved in teeth whitening, and what are the benefits? Today on the blog, we’ll break down the reasons to get teeth whitening, what to expect from it, and where to fit it in your treatment plan.
Why do our teeth discolour?
Teeth are porous and can pick up staining from all sorts of areas. Coffee, tea, red wine, and smoking are a big cause of teeth staining. Stains are intrinsic (meaning on the inside of your tooth) or extrinsic (meaning on the outside of your tooth). Extrinsic stains can be removed with a clean and polish. When people talk about teeth whitening or bleaching, usually they mean targeting the stains on the inside of your tooth.
Teeth whitening comes in all forms:
In chair whitening
We use a product with higher concentration of peroxide to get better results. This appointment usually takes about 60-90 minutes.
There can be some sensitivity after having your teeth professionally whitened. We usually recommend using a desensitising toothpaste for 2 weeks prior to your whitening appointment.
Take home whitening
This is a type of bleaching you can do from the comfort of your own home. You get trays that fit in your mouth, along with some take home whitening gel. This gel has a lower concentration of peroxide, which makes it safer for at home use. Expect to have to wear the trays and gel a few times a week for the best results. The benefit of this method, is that over time, when your teeth revert to a stained colour, you can get more take home gel to freshen up the colour.
Internal bleaching
Internal bleaching is required when you have a root canal treated tooth that has discoloured. This process involves opening up into the root canal area slightly, placing some whitening gel on the inside, and then leaving it for 1-5 days. You return when the tooth has whitened to remove the gel and replace the filling.
Scale and clean (polish)
A scale and polish can do wonders for those extrinsic stains! This removes calculus, plaque build up, and smoking stains and can give us a better idea of what intrinsic stains are present on your teeth.
The best way to know which of these would work for you is to come in and chat to our friendly dentists. They can talk you through the options and the benefits of each one.
