Teeth Whitening

Teeth Whitening is an effective and instant method of improving the appearance of your smile. Teeth Whitening will whiten your smile, whilst not damaging the enamel on your teeth. It works by changing the colour of the internal part of the tooth, it can be considered permanent whitening, however due to the dynamic nature of teeth including absorption of stain and natural thickening of the dentine with age, the whitening would naturally fade over months to years. Our in chair teeth whitening is the best way to have a whiter smile without causing damage or harm to health of your mouth.

Teeth whitening has become a popular treatment on the dental market, with only 1% of the population that teeth whitening does not work on.

Many patients opt for teeth whitening because they wish to brighten their smile to improve confidence in social interactions. Patients also wish to correct stains on the surface of their teeth that some food and drinks cause by teeth whitening.

If you have a special event coming up, many patients also opt for teeth whitening to improve the aesthetics of their smile for the event and photographs.

At Dental & Skin we recommend that all dental work is completed before carrying out teeth whitening treatment.

We also recommend a hygiene clean, to remove all plaque and tartar from the surface of your teeth. This will prepare a clean and even surface for our teeth whitening treatment to take effect upon and produce a white smile!

The outcome of teeth whitening does vary from person to person. The outcome does also depend on how well you look after your teeth, for example, avoiding food and drinks that stain your teeth after carrying out treatment. This is alongside regular dental check ups and hygiene treatment to maintain your oral health.

At Dental & Skin our dentist will assess your teeth and offer an opinion on teeth whitening option that would work best for your particular case.

Teeth Whitening is a safe dental treatment for most patients. The most common side effect of teeth whitening is for your teeth to be sensitive to cold temperatures, this usually subsides within 48 hours.

Less frequent side effects of teeth whitening are discomfort of the gums and a sore throat, both of which subside within a few days.

Home kits vs in chair whitening

At Dental & Skin we have two different options for teeth whitening; take home kits and in chair whitening.

We recommend in chair whitening for instant results and for patients who would like a quick treatment. The in chair whitening has the advantage of the LED light which advances the likelihood of the whitening gel taking to your teeth. Once you have completed your whitening treatment, our dentist will be able to tell you how many shades lighter your teeth are.

We recommend take home kits for patients who are dedicated to a longer treatment to achieve results. Take home kits are more time consuming, however they do also produce good results. One of the disadvantages of home kits is that they can be more acidic, meaning that damage can be caused to your teeth with a home kit.

Hydrogen Peroxide vs Carbamide Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide and Carbamide peroxide are both whitening agents used in the procedure of teeth whitening.

They both produce brilliant results, however hydrogen peroxide more often gives better results. There is little difference between them regarding the length of procedure, however carbamide peroxide may take longer to work as it first needs to break down into hydrogen peroxide.

Patients may experience differing rates of sensitivity, however, this will not be due to which peroxide is used as there is not a noticeable difference between the two.

Boutique Whitening
Boutique is a whitening gel that can be used in a home kit. Boutique has two options for whitening; BoutiqueDay and spend 1 hour whitening your teeth or Boutique By Night and whiten your teeth during your sleep.
Advantages
Boutique is a very popular whitening gel on the dental market and this is due to its many advantages. Boutique produces fast results whilst keeping your teeth hydrated with its high water content. Boutique increases the safety of its gel by using pH neutral gels to help protect your teeth and gums, as well as adding potassium nitrate which helps with sensitivity.
Disadvantages
As with all whitening gels; sensitivity and sore gums is a possibility. A whitening gel as a home kit requires a dedicated patient to continue treatment.

PolaNight and PolaDay
This whitening gel is known for its choice of different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide. This gel like Boutique is also very popular on the market and can be used as a home kit.
Advantages
Likewise to Boutique, PolaNight and PolaDay has a neutral pH to increase comfort as well as reducing sensitivity by containing a desensitising agent and a high water content. This gel also has a high viscosity meaning that the gel will stay inside the tray. This gel also has an advantage of taste with its spearmint flavour.
Disadvantages
As with all whitening gels; sensitivity and sore gums is a possibility. A whitening gel as a home kit requires a dedicated patient to continue treatment.

Philips Zoom
Philips Zoom has the option of DayWhite (hydrogen peroxide) and NiteWhite (both hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide options). Philips Zoom’s main attraction on the dental market is that it combines Potassium Nitrate, Fluoride and Amorphous calcium phosphate.
Advantages
This whitening gel has the advantage of not needing to be refrigerated due to its dual barrel system. This gel is proven to help with the remineralisation of your teeth after whitening and its formula reduces sensitivity. Philips Zoom also has a choice of different formulations of peroxide.
Disadvantages
As with all whitening gels; sensitivity and sore gums is a possibility. A whitening gel as a home kit requires a dedicated patient to continue treatment.

Opalescence
Opalescence like the other brands has the option to be worn during the day or the evening. Opalescence for 25 years has been the leader in the whitening market. This gel like PolaNight and PolaDay offers different flavours of gel.
Advantages
Opalescence has the advantage of containing both fluoride and potassium nitrate to protect your enamel after your teeth whitening. Opalescence whitening gel offers both hydrogen peroxide and different concentrations of carbamide peroxide. Similar to PolaDay and PolaNight, this gel has a high viscosity to prevent movement.
Disadvantages
As with all whitening gels; sensitivity and sore gums is a possibility. A whitening gel as a home kit requires a dedicated patient to continue treatment.