Teeth Whitening
Teeth whitening is the least invasive of all dental cosmetic treatments. It is safe, fast and inexpensive; an effective way to brighten natural teeth discoloured or stained by age or chemical. Most patients can expect to brighten their teeth by 8 to 10 shades after the whitening procedure.
While safe, some individuals do experience some degree of transient tooth sensitivity; this can however be managed by your dentist.
Do you have stained teeth from too much coffee/tea or smoking? Or you may be born with naturally discoloured teeth (intrinsic stains)? Teeth whitening is frequently used to treat mild to moderate surface and intrinsic stains.
After 2-3 weeks of ‘home’ whitening or 1 hour of ‘In-office’ whitening, you will be able to achieve your sparkling dream smile. However, longer whitening periods will be required for more severe discolourations (like Tetracycline stains).
This is important to ensure many years of enjoyment of your new smile.
As part of T32’s whitening protocol, we recommend that all our patients maintain the brightness of their teeth regularly (2 to 3 months) with their customized home-whitening trays. These customised home-whitening trays are crafted in our in-house dental laboratory to ensure excellent fit, greater comfort and satisfaction among our patients.
Treatment Process
Treatment Process (Home-whitening)
This is an easy 15 minute procedure.
- A detailed aesthetic analysis of your smile is conducted as well as assessment of your dietary habits and expectation. Counselling may be done concerning the right thing to eat after whitening.
- Moulds are taken of both your upper and lower jaws. This allows our in-house technicians to customize (bespoke) the whitening trays to fit you perfectly.
- The bespoke process takes a few hours to complete. Should you prefer, you may even request to collect them on the same day so that you can start on the whitening straight away! Just ask us!
- When the trays are ready, you will be given special whitening gels (available in various concentrations) for the whitening. You will then be shown how to apply the gels and do the whitening.
- Apply and wear the trays for between 30 minutes to 2 hours (depending on whitening gel concentrations.
- To return to our dentists for review of results in 3 to 4 weeks.
- Do remember to do your maintenance!
Tip: If you have a big party or an important event that you are attending and would want to be in your best smile, a week before the event, you can put the trays on for 1 or 2 applications.
Cost of Teeth Whitening
We encourage you to speak with our dentist for a consultation to find out more about the dental treatment available for your condition, price ranges and other fees applicable.
FAQs on Teeth Whitening
Teeth whitening is an extremely safe and straightforward procedure. The most common side effect experienced is sensitivity, the intensity varies from patient to patient. Teeth whitening will not affect the integrity of the tooth structure and existing fillings; however, existing fillings, veneers or crowns present in the front teeth are unlikely to lighten to the same degree as natural teeth and may need to be changed accordingly.
Teeth whitening is generally perceived to be a safe procedure for pregnant of nursing mothers. This is because the active ingredient in whitening gel, Peroxide, breaks down in water and releases oxygen radicals, which penetrates the tooth and whitens it, and does not affect any other parts of the body. There are also no studies to indicate that teeth whitening poses any risks to a developing foetus, but, as the first trimester is a crucial period for the development of the foetus, we generally recommend caution.
It is also completely safe for new mothers to use whitening gels whilst still nursing.
Caution is generally advised when carrying out whitening procedures on children. This is because their permanent teeth may not yet be fully developed.
Before teeth whitening gel is applied, a patient's lips and gums will be protected. This means that, other than short term tooth sensitivity, there are generally no other side effects experienced.
Teeth whitening does not affect the integrity of teeth, therefore it will not lead to the teeth becoming brittle.
Every patient is different, for example, abnormalities in the development and structure may result in innate weakness of the natural teeth. For this reason, we advise that patients undergo an individual consultation before committing to any dental procedure.
We do not advocate that patients forgo coffee in order to maintain white teeth. Our dentists will advise you on various ways to maintain your new smile; generally regular professional cleaning and use of the maintenance trays will help remove any superficial stains, including nicotine stains caused by smoking.
The ideal level of whiteness varies between individuals. Our dental surgeons will be able to advise on individual cases.
As a general rule of thumb we advise against over-using the whitening tray and gel, which would include prolonged usage in a single day. We do this because we are following the protocol recommended by the manufacturers.
The main difference between store bought products and professionally dispensed products is in the mode of application and concentration of the whitening gels used. Professionally dispensed gels are of a higher concentration and thus, deliver a more predictable and noticeable result.
We expect some degree of whitening to occur, even on tetracycline stained teeth. However, depending on severity of the stains, it may not be possible to remove all of the stains.
We understand the concern and importance placed on personal safety. T32 Dental Centre uses autoclave sterilisation and disposable/non-contamination techniques to ensure that the highest hygiene standards are met.
Most patients experience no discomfort. However, some do experience mild temporary pain.
At T32 Dental Centre our approach is to customise treatment for each individual. The cost will very much depend on the specific patient’s programme. We believe that, by doing this, we are able to ensure maximum value for patients as they are charged only for the treatment they need and not for general dental packages. This will eliminate any treatment or services not needed.