Teeth Whitening
Get the perfect Canmore Smile
Teeth whitening is a cosmetic treatment which involves bleaching your teeth to make them lighter. The best way to keep your smile healthy and bright is to look after your teeth and gums, but it’s not unusual to need a little help.
You might consider teeth whitening for different reasons. Your teeth can lose their whiteness with age but can also become stained by smoking or drinking lots of tea, coffee or red wine.
Fortunately, our professional whitening treatments quickly and safely remove stains, without damaging your teeth. We’ve seen thousands of patients grow in confidence thanks to a brighter, whiter smile.
Only dental professionals registered with the General Dental Council, like our dentists, are allowed to perform teeth whitening.
You’ll need to have an initial consultation* before you can go ahead with teeth whitening treatment, to double check your teeth are suitable. During this consultation, we’ll:
- Check that your teeth and gums are healthy and suitable for whitening
- Discuss which teeth whitening and associated cost
FAQ
Yes, teeth whitening works if carried out by a trained dental professional. Whitening uses a peroxide-based gel to lighten the teeth. When these chemicals break down, they release oxygen. This gets into the hard, outer surface of your teeth (the enamel) and whitens them.
Yes, whitening is safe if it’s done properly. It’s illegal for anyone else other than registered dental professionals to carry out whitening procedures. A dental professional includes dentists, dental hygienists, therapists and technicians – who are registered with the General Dental Council.
Whitening doesn’t hurt, but it’s common to experience some mild sensitivity either during or after the initial treatment. This should settle down after a couple of days. If it doesn’t, get in touch with your dentist who can give you further advice.
Your dentist can recommend suitable toothpaste and other products to help if you do experience sensitivity. High-quality whitening products, used by dentists, come with anti-sensitivity ingredients incorporated into their gels, to avoid this happening.
The outcome of whitening varies depending on your individual teeth. Your dentist will be able to advise you on the likely results following an initial consultation.
When carried out well, whitening results should be permanent and only need simple top-ups every six to nine months, which you can do at home. Your dentist will provide you with these when necessary.
If you opted for a home-whitening kit to begin with, you can top-up as and when required.
Shop bought whitening treatments should only contain 0.1% of hydrogen peroxide. It’s illegal to sell any kits with a higher level than this in the UK.
These low levels of peroxide don’t achieve stable results in the way professional whitening does. Whitening treatments carried out by a dentist can contain up to 6% of hydrogen peroxide, which must be dispensed by a trained dental professional and your suitability will need to be evaluated first.
Some over-the-counter kits are abrasive and work by wearing the enamel away. Your teeth may initially appear whiter but can cause long-term tooth surface loss.
How Does it Work?
The Illumine home bleaching kit contains your own custom made bleaching trays, storage case and 3 syringes of bleaching gel.
The active ingredient in the gel releases oxygen, this penetrates into the teeth, in turn lightening the shade of your teeth.
- Everyone’s teeth have a natural limit of how white they will become. In addition to whiten the oxygen also deep-cleans the teeth by removing microscopic debris from the tooth structure.
- Directions for use The trays are worn overnight for two weeks
- Before bed brush your teeth thoroughly for 2 minutes immediately before each bleaching session.
- Squeeze a small amount of gel into each reservoir on your tray
- Dab the teeth dry with a tissue
- Put the tray in, gently press the tray around the gums to seal the gel in (any excess gel can be simply wiped away with a tissue)
- In the morning remove the trays and rinse your mouth with slightly warm water (cold or hot water may be uncomfortable)
- Brush teeth with Sensodyne toothpaste for 2 minutes – Clean the trays with cool water (hot water will damage the trays)
- Leave the trays in the open box to dry during the day You will see results very quickly, normally within 3 days but to complete the process trays should be worn for 2 weeks, this will help retain the new shade of your teeth.
You may experience some sensitivity during your bleaching. This can be reduced by the use of Sensodyne toothpaste. If extreme sensitivity occurs you can put Sensodyne toothpaste into your tray and wear overnight, alternate nights this with the bleaching gel to eliminate the sensitivity. It is important that you avoid any foods or drinks which are likely to stain the teeth during the bleaching process (any food or drinks which will stain clothing will also stain your teeth).
If you have any further questions or would like to discuss bleaching in more detail please feel free to ask your dentist or dental nurse.
For the latest Prices on Teeth Whitening, please see our price list.
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