Tooth Whitening in Merton, Wimbledon, Mitcham and Tooting - South London Cosmetic Dentistry
Tooth whitening is the simplest technique that can give your smile that extra 'Brightness or sparkle'. Dietary stains such as tea, coffee, red wine, and tobacco or the ageing process can all darken your teeth. Whitening can lighten and brighten the shade of your teeth considerably and give a real sparkle to your smile. There are a variety of options to suit you either in the surgery using the latest "Power bleaching techniques" that usually involve some form of laser / other intense light or "Home bleaching" when specially made custom fitted trays are loaded with a bleaching gel are used to lighten and brighten teeth either overnight or during the day. When needed a combined approach of power and home whitening techniques produces a super result in a very short time.
Single discoloured teeth are quite often the result of trauma or a tooth that has died and received root canal therapy and specific techniques either in the surgery or at home are available to treat such cases even when the rest of the teeth are a good shade. Using such simple and very effective techniques means more destructive restorative treatments are not needed to produce a fantastic smile.
Power Whitening: our experienced cosmetic dentist can whiten and brighten your teeth in the surgery in just over an hour using a variety of lights such as a diode laser or the Zoom! System to speed up the effects of the power whitening gel we coat onto your teeth to lighten them. . It's safe, effective and fast. The lights and gel work together to gently penetrate your teeth, breaking up stains and discolouration. With maintenance treatment your smile will sparkle for years.
Home Teeth Whitening - advice from our resident Cosmetic Dentist:
Custom trays are made to fit over teeth precisely and bleaching gel is placed inside these trays while the trays are worn overnight or for at least a few hours per day. For most patients the colour improvement is seen within the first 3-4 days but we encourage patients to finish the bleaching gels we supply in order to get maximum whitening benefits and the procedure should take no more than a couple of weeks for most patients. Quite often patients do not finish the supply of bleaching gels given to them as they have achieved their aesthetic needs much quicker.
Commonly asked questions about teeth whitening procedures:
How long will the whitening last?
Every patient is different depending on their contact with dietary stains such as tea, coffee, red wine or tobacco. Scientific research studies have reported figures for up to 10 years but for the majority of patients some form of "top up" treatment is recommended usually after about 3 years depending on the diet and this treatment need only involve one or two days use of the trays that they already have.
Are there any side effects?
The most common side effect that some patients may feel is some sensitivity to hot and cold. This is a transient side effect easily treated by reducing the wearing times of the trays or doing the bleaching treatment on alternate days or nights. Sometimes it may be necessary for some patients to desensitise their teeth using toothpastes such as "Sensodyne Pronamel or Colgate Sensitive" worn in the whitening trays for up to 30 minutes.
Safety studies have shown that power bleaching or at home whitening techniques supervised by the dentist is perfectly safe on the teeth, cheeks, gum and tissue of the mouth.
Can everyone whiten their teeth?
Teeth whitening is not for everybody. There are some situations where bleaching teeth is not advised such as when the front teeth are already crowned or have bridges or when there are very large fillings on the front teeth or the teeth are already excessively worn. For these patients there are other cosmetic dentistry techniques available to produce an equally natural bright smile!
What will I feel or what happens when I bleach?
Sometimes new white spots or bands appear on the teeth while bleaching. These white spots or bands were already present on the teeth before bleaching and as the teeth become lighter they become more visible. Do not worry. As the whole tooth itself becomes lighter these spots and bands will fade.
Following the bleaching procedure the teeth and gums normally feel very as the bleaching materials are a recognised anti-plaque agents thereby having a therapeutic effect on the surrounding structures as well as the teeth.
Sometimes the teeth do not lighten at all but this is usually quite rare. If this happens and you are wearing the bleaching trays as recommended, please contact the surgery for alternative treatments to produce equally effective aesthetic results.