Teeth whitening: why a dentist is essential to safe, successful treatment

Teeth whitening is the most popular cosmetic dental treatment in the world, and it’s not difficult to understand why. Everyone dreams of a set of dazzling white teeth, but unfortunately modern lifestyles often work against us.

If you think about what your teeth go through in the average day, it’s not surprising that they become stained. Drinking a lot of tea, coffee, or red wine can lead to staining of the teeth, whilst smoking is a major culprit (another good reason you should ask your dentist about help to stop smoking!).

Some medicines, medicated mouthwashes and medical conditions can also result in tooth staining. Teeth whitening is a safe and effective way to combat such discolouration – so long as it is provided under the supervision of a qualified dentist.

It can be easy to feel overwhelmed if you are browsing teeth whitening options. There are myriad products available on the high street, from the internet, and even from some beauty salons that promise to lighten the colour of your teeth. However, these should always be avoided.

Whilst the products you pick up from the high street are likely to be relatively safe but generally ineffective, not producing the results you want, some of them can cause the unwanted side-effect of tooth sensitivity.

Products from the internet, meanwhile, should not be trusted. Sometimes they contain such high levels of the dental bleaching agent hydrogen peroxide that they are dangerous, with the potential to cause serious damage to your teeth, gums, or mouth.

Teeth whitening offered by beauty salons should be avoided for the same reason. Whitening treatment is classed as dentistry by dentists’ governing body the General Dental Council, which means legally only a dentist – or a hygienist, hygiene therapist, or clinical dental technician on a dentist’s prescription – can provide it.

If you wouldn’t ask your beautician for a tooth filling, it figures you shouldn’t ask them for teeth whitening, either.

Ladbroke Grove Dental Care offers two teeth whitening options, both of which have been extensively tested and proven to be clinically effective and safe.

Home teeth whitening involves using custom-made mouth trays and takes two weeks, whilst power whitening involves a single, hour-long session here in the practice.