Your Handy and Reliable Guide for Teeth Whitening Treatment

Your teeth can pick up stains or get discoloured for a number of reasons. It is possible to remove those unsightly stains but you’ve to do it safely. Modern cosmetic dentistry offers plenty of options to make your teeth whiter and brighter. You can get in-chair treatment at your dentist’s office or use at-home whitening products. While teeth whitening treatment is known to create some unwanted side-effects, overall it is a safe procedure as long as you stick to the manufacturers’ directives, assures Dr. Siavash Mirfendereski. We should also mention that he’s a renowned dentist at a private practice at Wimpole Street in London with years of experience.

How your teeth lose their natural shine and beauty

The teeth can become discoloured because of several reasons, including the following:

• Extrinsic discolouration: When lifestyle factors, mainly your food, drinking and smoking habits discolour the teeth. Extrinsic stains affect the outer surface of the teeth. You can avoid such stains by cutting down on your coffee, tea, red wine, smoking and food items that contain dyes. Whitening toothpastes containing active ingredients prove helpful in removing extrinsic teeth stains.
• Intrinsic discolouration: Unlike extrinsic stains, thesetypes of stains affect the teeth from the Some of the factors that may lead the teeth to pick up intrinsic stains include certain medications, infection, dental trauma, advanced age and childhood illness. You need a professional bleaching treatment to get rid of this kind of stains.

Your options for teeth whitening

As one of the most popular treatments in modern dentistry, teeth whitening treatments involve innumerable products and procedures, which range from over the counter whitening strips to an in-chair treatment at a dental practice in a thorough professional atmosphere.

Broadly, these 3 whitening methods are most widely used:

• Your dentist administers the whitening procedure.
• Your dentist dispenses the procedure to use at home.
• Products that are available over the counter or prepared at home beyond your dentist’s guidance.

You should better choose a whitening procedure for your teeth after considering the following points:

• The type of discolouration you have.
• Your budget.
• Age (when children are concerned).
• Overall dental history (whether you have fillings and crowns in the teeth).

Taking all the points into consideration, you should request your dentist to recommend a procedure that suits your circumstances the best.

Time required to whiten the teeth varies from individual to individual, says one of the best teeth whitening dentists in London.  It primarily depends on the following factors:

• The type of discolouration your teeth have.
• The specific method chosen to whiten the teeth.

Professional teeth whitening

A qualified dentist can use a number of different methods to whiten your teeth that can be performed either at his or her practice or at your home. Usually, they apply precision dosage of carbamide peroxide to bleach the teeth. The product breaks down to hydrogen peroxide and urea that perform a chemical reaction targeting the stains. This is a safe approach to whiten the teeth.   

In-office teeth whitening

Compared to the other approaches, in-office whitening treatments deliver quick results. The results are also likely to last for longer, offering you better value for your money. It uses products that contain higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide – the active ingredient – compared to the ones you use at home. Patients suffering from gum recession or oral lesions are mostly recommended in-office treatment to bleach their teeth.

At-home teeth whitening under dentist’s supervision

A dentist can also help whitening your teeth at home. He can get you custom-fit trays and ask to add a teeth whitening gel to your armoury. You wear the tray in the mouth with the gel added to it for 30 minutes to an hour a day. The time will be specified by the dentist. Continue the procedure for some weeks to get your teeth whitened to your desires.

Popular teeth whitening products for at-home treatment

OTC or over-the-counter whitening products are very popular when it comes to removing stains from the teeth. This range of products does not contain carbamide peroxide. Even if the chemical remains present, it is found in disproportionately low concentration. In other words, OTC teeth whiteners are less likely to remove intrinsic stains from the teeth.  

While using any OTC whitener, make sure to stick to the manufacturer’s directives thoroughly.

Whitening toothpastes

Whitening toothpastes do not contain carbamide peroxide. This range of commercially manufactured products is ideal to remove extrinsic stains. They contain many abrasive components and even a chemical called blue covarine. Whitening toothpastes usually take considerable time to deliver results. But those containing blue covarine provide impressive result just after brushing once. Whitening toothpastes are a unique range of OTC products that facilitates both teeth cleaning and whitening at the same time.

Whitening strips

Teeth whitening strips are also available as over the counter product. This variety of products contains trace amount of hydrogen peroxide. Apply these strips no more than 1 to 2 minutes a day at home for a specific length of time mentioned by the manufacturer to get the teeth whitened.

Home-based teeth whitening

Many people rely on home-based products and approaches – like activated charcoal – for teeth whitening. But these methods are yet to be scientifically proved. Therefore, it’s better to discuss with your dentist before applying them to save the teeth from getting damaged.

Common side-effects to consider

Teeth whitening treatments are safe. But in worst case scenario, you may experience some unexpected side-effects. These include:

• Teeth sensitivity: Your teeth are likely to be more sensitive after teeth whitening. However, this should quickly fade.You can also request the dentist to recommend suitable products to address the problem.
• Irritated gums: Gingival irritation or gum irritation can happen although it is a rare occasion.This occurs because of the effect of the chemicals present in the whitening products on your gum tissues.

There’s no teeth whitening method that offers permanent results. You should maintain a healthy diet and healthy lifestyle to make the whitening effect long-lasting.

Please feel free to book your appointment with our private dentist at Wimpole Dental Office to get rid of unsightly stains from the teeth. We possess striking track record in this field at a reasonable cost. The business hours stretch from 9 am to 6 pm on weekdays and we’re available on Saturday’s too, but only on prior appointments.