Teeth Whitening | Sutton Dental Centre and Medical Aesthetics | Dentists (2024)

Dentist in Sutton, Surrey gives information for patients who are having their teeth whitened using the tray method (Home and Tray Whitening), not the Laser Teeth Whitening System or Zoom whitening system, ⁣/p>

Your dentist has given you a Whitening Kit to take home with you, together with your bleaching trays. It is essential that you follow these instructions given by your dentist and the manufacturer’s instructions in wearing the trays and applying the bleaching agent.

How long should I wear the trays for during Teeth Whitening?

This depends on the amount of lightning that you desire and the original shade of the teeth. If your teeth are quite dark or very yellow/grey/tetracycline stained, it will take longer to bleach the teeth. People with darkly stained yellow or yellow brown teeth frequently achieve better results than people with grey or bluish grey teeth.

Tetracycline stained teeth can take 6 months or up to 1 year to whiten the teeth. Some teeth can whiten in a matter of days. Please note that exposed teeth roots do not bleach.

Ideally, the trays should be worn every night for at least 7 hours. It is very important to remove all the excess material around the gums or the palate prior to sleeping with the trays.

If you cannot wear the trays for a few days because of your hectic schedule, it does not matter. Whitening your teeth according to your own schedule. Some people put the trays in after dinner and wear them for the first hour whilst watching TV or doing the dishes. Then, if everything is fine, they replenish the trays and sleep with them in the mouth.

What do I do if I have sensitivity after Teeth Whitening?

Sensitivity of the teeth is the most common side effect of home whitening. Many patients suffer from sensitive teeth any way. This occurs usually around the necks of the teeth where the gums have receded. If you are experiencing any sensitivity, you should stop bleaching your teeth for a few days.

You can resume after about 3–4 days. If the teeth become ultra sensitive you can place sensitive toothpaste into the bleaching trays for an hour a day. That will usually stop the sensitivity. Alternatively, you can rub the desensitising toothpaste into the gum margins with your finger 5 times per day for a few days. If you are at all concerned, please call your dentist.

People with existing sensitivity, recession, exposed dentine, exposed root surfaces, recently cracked teeth, abfractions (micro-cracks) open cavities, leaking fillings, erosion, cervical abrasion,or other dental conditions that cause sensitivity or allow penetration of the gel into the tooth may find those conditions increase or prolong tooth sensitivity, or sensitivity after whitening treatment.

What happens if the teeth do not whiten evenly?

If the teeth have white spots on them before whitening, these spots will appear whiter during the first few days. However, the contrast between the spots and the rest of the tooth will be less, and eventually, they will not be noticeable.

Sometimes the dentist can do a special procedure called Microabrasion for you where the white spots can be more permanently removed. Ask your dentist about the procedure if you are concerned about this.

You may notice new white spots occurring on the teeth while you are undertaking the bleaching treatment. These white spots were present on the teeth before bleaching. As the teeth become lighter, they become more visible. Do not worry as the whole tooth itself becomes lighter these spots will fade. You may notice these white spots immediately after a bleaching session or in the morning if you have been wearing the trays for the whole night.

Some teeth may appear banded with lighter/whiter areas. Again, these findings were originally present on the tooth. As the tooth is dark, these findings are not obvious. As the tooth becomes lighter, the lighter parts of the tooth will lighten first, followed by the darker banded area. After a week or so these will not be noticeable anymore.

How will my teeth feel after Teeth Whitening?

Normally, the teeth feel very clean after the Teeth Whitening procedure. The whitening materials also have an indirect effect on the gums in helping them to heal or improving the health of the gums. This is how the technique was invented, as it was first used to heal gum irritation during orthodontic treatment.

Will Teeth Whitening change my smile?

Your smile will appear brighter as a bonus. It is very rare, but sometimes the teeth do not lighten at all. If this happens, and you are wearing the whitening trays as recommended, you may need to try a different whitening product or a slightly higher concentration of whitening material. The dentist can do a few “LASER WHITENING sessions; for you while you relax in the chair. Discuss this with your dentist.

If you have white fillings and crowns that match the existing shade of your teeth before you bleach your teeth, they may not match the teeth afterward.

This is because your teeth can lighten, but the fillings, artificial teeth, crowns, bridges, and veneers do not lighten. Temporary restorations made from acrylic may become discolored after exposure to bleaching treatment.

When the desired color has been achieved, the dentist can replace these restorations with a lighter shade of filling material to match the new shade of your teeth. Normally, the dentist will wait a couple of weeks before changing the fillings.

How long does the Teeth Whitening last? Will I have to whiten my teeth again?Type text here

Normally, the new white color of your teeth keeps quite well. The effect is dependent on what has caused the teeth to discolor in the first place. If you drink lots of tea, coffee, red wine, or cola drinks the effect may darken slightly.

Some patients do a top-up treatment after 3-4 years. Some patients do not need to.

Does Teeth Whitening harm my teeth or gums?

Safety studies have shown that whitening teeth using the dentist prescribed home whitening technique is perfectly safe on the teeth, cheeks, gums, and tissue of the mouth. It is conservative of tooth tissue. Bleaching the teeth with the dentist prescribed kits is the equivalent of drinking one soda drink. The whitening material has a neutral pH.

Peroxide is a small molecule and is naturally produced by the eyes in low concentrations. It oxidises unattached stain or organic matter from the teeth, changing their appearance.

If a small area of the cheek margins, gums, and lips is exposed to the whitening gel, there may be temporary inflammation, which usually subsides after a few days.

There are problems with the bleaching kits that are purchased over the counter. Although they are inexpensive, they normally contain an acid rinse, which can damage the teeth or thin down the enamel of the teeth. This acid rinse can be extremely harmful to the teeth. There was a case where a patient purchased the kit over the counter and bleached the teeth. The teeth went darker. This was because the acid rinse had worn the enamel away and the darker shade was the dentine that was exposed.

It is not advisable to bleach your teeth if you smoke. It is best to stop smoking for at least 3 weeks before commencing the bleaching procedure. Smoking causes the teeth to darken and the effects will be diminished.

The technique of whitening teeth is not for everybody. There are some situations where whitening teeth is contraindicated, such as where the front teeth are already crowned or where there are very large fillings on the front teeth, or where the teeth are excessively worn and where there is tooth surface loss. The most ideal situation is where there is not much wrong with the teeth except for the color which has become more yellow with age.