Teeth Whitening

Teeth Whitening

Teeth whitening involves bleaching the teeth to lighten their colour. After treatment, the teeth look a few shades whiter, but not usually bright white.

Teeth whitening is an optional procedure — it is very rarely a necessity.

Whitening products typically use the chemicals hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. Only registered dental practitioners can legally use the most concentrated — and thus most effective — whitening solutions.

The bleach soaks through the tooth’s enamel top layer and into the dentine (inner yellow layer), the main part of the inside of the tooth which is slightly softer than the enamel. The bleach reacts with the coloured molecules that cause discolouration. The dentine then becomes lighter and the teeth look whiter. Bleach can also make the enamel surface more reflective, which looks whiter too.

Here at Agile Dentistry Geraldton, we take moulds of your teeth to custom make trays to fit your teeth. We find that by getting you to bleach your teeth over several nights at home you get a better result, less sensitivity and in the future, you can easily rebleach your teeth as needed.

Teeth whitening is not recommended if you:

• are pregnant or breastfeeding

• have sensitive teeth

• have gum disease or shrinkage

• have cracks or exposed dentine

Note that whitening treatments will not whiten existing crowns, veneers or fillings.