Teeth pick up stains from coffee, tea, red wine and everyday life, and they darken a little with age. Professional whitening lightens the natural shade of your teeth under a dentist's supervision. We offer both in-chair whitening and take-home systems, chosen to suit the result you are looking for.
How whitening works
The gel contains hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide, which passes through the enamel and breaks down the coloured molecules inside the tooth. It does not remove any tooth surface. In the UK, tooth whitening is dentistry by law: it can be carried out only by a dentist, or by a dental hygienist or therapist on a dentist's prescription, using gel with up to 6% hydrogen peroxide. Kits sold online and treatments offered in salons either use far weaker products that do little, or stronger ones that are not legal and can burn the gums.
Take-home whitening
Your dentist takes a scan or an impression and has thin trays made that fit your teeth exactly. You put a small amount of gel in the trays and wear them for the time prescribed each day, or overnight, usually for two to four weeks. You control how far you go: you stop when you reach the shade you like. The trays last, so topping up later needs only more gel.
In-chair whitening
The gums are protected and a stronger-acting gel is applied to the teeth at the surgery, in a visit of about an hour. It gives a visible change quickly, and is often followed by a short course of home whitening to settle and hold the shade.
Is it right for you
Whitening starts with an examination, because it should be done on a healthy mouth: decay, leaking fillings and inflamed gums are dealt with first. It changes natural tooth only. Crowns, veneers, fillings and dentures stay the colour they are, so if you have visible ones your dentist will plan around them. It is not carried out during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and under UK law not on anyone under 18 unless it is to treat a disease.
What to expect
Sensitivity to cold during the course is common and passes within a few days of stopping. A sensitive-teeth toothpaste helps, and so does whitening on alternate days. How many shades lighter your teeth go varies from person to person; yellowish teeth tend to respond more than greyish ones. The result fades slowly over one to three years, faster with smoking, coffee and red wine.
Common questions
Does it damage enamel? Used as prescribed, no.
How white will my teeth go? Your dentist records the starting shade and gives you a realistic idea before you begin.
I want more than a colour change. Whitening is often the first step of a wider plan: see smile design and veneers.
