Your perfect smile can boost your confidence and self-esteem considerably. Unfortunately, not everyone has white teeth, often due to food/drink/nicotine staining. Some people’s teeth are naturally white but with significantly more greys and browns running through them, therefore making them more yellow. Teeth whitening, as the name indicates, is whitening the colour of your teeth to a shade whiter than your current colour. There are two general options: Doing it through a dentist or using an off the shelf supermarket/pharmacy bought kit/toothpaste/mouthwash. So what works? Firstly, make sure that your teeth and oral health are sound and no immediate work is required, ie you should have a check-up and clean at least with a dentist before embarking on any form of teeth whitening. Quite often you may find that a good clean will make your teeth considerably whiter due to superficial stain removal. I’ll keep it simple for you in regards to any off the shelf whitening kits bought in a shop or off the internet, majority of them will do nothing. Don’t waste your money. That is not my opinion, it has been proven by research. Don’t be sucked in by flash adverts and glam pictures on social media or stalls in shopping centres, the kits will do very little to actually whiten your teeth, if anything at all.
So then whitening with a dentist, home kit or in chair whitening?
All teeth whitening is done by means of hydrogen peroxide gel of varying strengths. Some take home kits for night wear have carbamide peroxide which converts to hydrogen peroxide but has to be worn for significantly longer (6-8 hours compared to 30-40 mins). Few things to consider before you decide which form of teeth whitening to have done:
- In chair whitening is on average at least twice the price of take home teeth whitening kits. Save your $$$.
- In chair whitening will usually result in far more discomfort and sensitivity during the procedure compared to take home whitening which may cause absolutely no sensitivity.
- Research has shown that home teeth whitening kits give a longer lasting and more stable result than in chair whitening.
- Most clinics will give you a take home kit as part of the in chair whitening. So why bother in the first place? If you don’t have the luxury of time (usually 7 days required) and want instant gratification (albeit temporary) then by all means do the in chair bleaching but don’t expect it to last too long.
- With a home kit it’s easy to top up your teeth whitening once per year for a day or two as you keep your custom made trays that are used to hold the bleaching agent around your teeth. Even if you run out of the whitening agent, clinics will sell it to you as individual tubes at a small cost.
- I believe it is impossible to guarantee a particular change in the number of shades. I tell my patients that their teeth will become whiter, brighter and shinier but everyone’s teeth start at a different shade and will therefor whiten differently. Take a before and after selfie in exactly the same light conditions and you will see the true change.
- Finally if you are looking for Hollywood white teeth, any form of teeth whitening is not for you. Save your money as a Hollywood makeover will cost you significantly more.
- If you are prone to a lot of external staining for whatever reason, teeth whitening will not help you with that, only 6 monthly professional scaling at your dentist will and a good electric toothbrush.
I hope this helps in making your mind up as to how to whiten your teeth. It is a procedure that has been around for many years, completely safe and effective and it does work, it all just depends on your expectations. Good luck and hope you love your whiter, brighter smile! Call us at MHP Dental if you would like some assistance with your teeth whitening, we are there to help whiten your smile!