A guide to teeth whitening, the world’s most popular cosmetic dental treatment

Thanks to its popularity among celebrities and reality television personalities, teeth whitening is the most popular cosmetic dental procedure in the world. When it is carried out by a qualified cosmetic dentist, teeth whitening is a safe and effective way to improve the appearance of your smile by removing common stains, giving you a set of dazzling Hollywood-bright teeth.

Having stained teeth can make you too self-conscious to smile, which can cause people to get the wrong impression about you. Tooth staining is a very common problem – it can even affect people who have excellent dental hygiene practises.

There are numerous causes of tooth discolouration, so the first thing a cosmetic dentist will do is to establish what is causing yours, to ascertain if teeth whitening is the most appropriate treatment option.

Teeth whitening treatment is effective in the case of stains caused by:

Dietary factors, such as drinking a lot of red wine, tea, or coffee

Smoking cigarettes or cigars

Side-effects of some medicines and medicated mouthwashes, as well as some medical conditions

Downham Market offers two options for patients interested in teeth whitening. These are:

1) Home whitening

This involves being measured for custom-made teeth whitening trays, which you fill with a small amount of dental bleaching gel and wear overnight for approximately a fortnight. The result will be brighter, whiter teeth.

2) Power whitening

Power whitening takes place in our Downham Market dental practice, and is carried out by a cosmetic dentist whilst you sit back and chill. Your dentist first protects your lips and gums, before applying the whitening gel to your teeth. A special lamp is then shone on your teeth to activate the gel. After just one hour, you will walk out of the dental practice with a dazzling white smile.

Whichever option you choose, teeth whitening must involve a visit to the dentist. That way you can be sure that your treatment is tested and safe, with minimal risk of temporary sensitivity during the procedure. As with any cosmetic dental treatment, teeth whitening must only be carried out in a healthy mouth.