Teeth Whitening
Our dental team is highly experienced at brightening smiles with Enlighten.
Having whiter teeth increases confidence. Tooth whitening, also known as teeth bleaching is a great way of giving your smile a boost. It erases stains caused by tea, coffee, red wine and smoking and helps you look younger by making your teeth look whiter and brighter.
Is ENLIGHTEN Teeth Whitening Right For You?
There are many things that may lead to discoloured teeth. Your recommended treatment and how discoloured teeth are managed depends on the exact cause of the discolouration.
If discolouration is a case of simple yellowing of the teeth with age then teeth whitening is an excellent choice of treatment. However, if the staining is internal, a prolonged whitening treatment over several months may become necessary. When the cause of the discoloured teeth originates from the root canals, further treatment such as root canal therapy and then internal whitening may become necessary.What Causes Discoloured Teeth?
There are various aspects of tooth ‘colour’ that change depending upon the cause of the discolouration. By assessing the cause of discolouration, we can understand the severity of the condition.
Tooth discolouration falls into two main categories, intrinsic and extrinsic discolouration.
Intrinsic tooth discolouration are tooth stains originating from inside the structure of a tooth. It can include causal things like:
- A dying tooth from trauma or injury. The discolouration is from internal bleeding that appears as a gradually darkening tooth. This is common in children's teeth.
- An infected tooth.
- Antibiotics, such as Tetracycline, given during the second half of pregnancy (when a child's teeth develop). Antibiotics can cause staining that appears as a brownish line through all the teeth.
- Too much fluoride given during the formative stage of adult teeth leading to fluorosis marks on the teeth.
- Malformation of the developing teeth due to genetic anomalies or disease, for example, amelogenesis imperfect or dentinogenesis imperfect.
- Old amalgam fillings that leak and cause a darkening of the tooth
- Aging, which can cause the teeth to appear more yellow due to the thinning of the enamel over time.
Extrinsic tooth discolouration are tooth stains occurring on the surface of the teeth usually from a build-up over time. This includes things like:
- Stains that accumulate due to food and drink, such as tea, coffee or red wine staining.
- Stains from damaging habits like smoking tobacco and cigarettes.
- Poor dental hygiene with the build-up of plaque and tartar.
- Fungal growth on teeth.
- Too much fluoride, leading to white marks on the surface of teeth.
How Does Teeth Whitening Work?
Teeth whitening is the dental technique of applying a whitening agent or dental bleach to the surface of a tooth. It can be in the form of a professional whitening gel which is activated by a rapid whitening system using a powerful light.
For every teeth whitening option in our dental practice, we use either carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide in low concentrations.
In each case, your teeth gently whiten, and dark stains are removed as the bleach reacts with the tooth surface, creating tiny oxygen bubbles. These bubbles gently remove the tooth stains. The bleaching gel or mouthwash whiten your teeth over a few days.
We favour Enlighten treatments because it offers our patients the brightest smiles possible.
During your appointment, we’ll assess various aspects of your tooth colour including:
- Hue: a tooth can change colour from yellowing to brownish to dark. These changes represent damage to a tooth structure.
- Value: the darkening effect of a tooth.
- Chroma: the intensity of colour. Very dark teeth appear black. This can occur when old amalgam fillings leak and stain the inside of the tooth.
- Translucency: sometimes a tooth can appear more translucent and darker due to the thinning effect of the enamel. This can occur in tooth wear cases especially of front incisor teeth.
Teeth Whitening Starts with a Consultation
Whitening Touch Ups are Required
After your Enlighten teeth whitening treatment, there is a natural tendency for the teeth to slowly darken again. This is normal and to be expected—however it is unlikely that they will ever return to their original shade.
Teeth whitening should always be viewed as a tooth discolouration treatment that needs occasional touch ups over time.
What Is Enlighten Teeth Whitening?
Before and After Teeth Whitening with Enlighten
We have helped many of our patients brighten their smiles with teeth whitening. Take a look at some of our Before and After whitening treatments to see real results.
So long as teeth whitening is undertaken by a dental health professional then yes, teeth whitening is safe. Teeth whitening only becomes unsafe when the bleaching gel comes into contact with the delicate gum area.
A dental professional can control the application of the bleaching gel by using precision-made trays. These trays fit snugly around your tooth/gum margin, ensuring the bleaching agent stays on your tooth and does not contact your gums. If the bleaching gel contacts your gum then this can burn and cause severe irritation.
A dental professional also has full cross infection control procedures in place. Many non-dental teeth whitening spas do not use adequate cross-infection control. You could end up leaving your non-dental whitening appointment with more than just whiter teeth!
The General Dental Council reviews the process of teeth whitening as dentistry. Anyone undertaking dentistry without being a suitably qualified and registered dental professional may be taken to court and prosecuted.
Is Teeth Whitening Safe?
Book an Appointment for Whiter Teeth
Enlighten teeth whitening treatment is a fast way to transform your smile. Please call us to book a free consultation with our treatment coordinator and get more information regarding teeth whitening on 020 7586 1210.
