OFF-THE-SHELF TEETH WHITENING
Let’s face it, we’ve all been sucked in by nifty infomercials and ads for DIY home teeth whitening. It may be sheer gullibility (or vanity) on my part, but I can speak from experience when I say I have probably tried out every home teeth whitening product on the market! From whitening toothpaste to pens, the results I obtained, although sometimes detectable, were often limited and transient. A myriad of studies have demonstrated that DIY home teeth whitening products, through their low concentration of peroxides and their abrasive particle compositions, may have some effect for patients with heavy superficial staining from smoking or coffee but generally they don’t achieve any significant change to the base shade of the teeth.

The reason is simple: most DIY home teeth whitening products are forbidden, by law, to administer a high strength of peroxide, so the whitening potency of these gels is necessarily limited. Also, these products wash off or are diluted by saliva or water, thus reducing essential contact time with your teeth. You will gain minty fresh breath but very limited alteration to your tooth colour!

So how can you get around this? Quite simply, speak to your dentist!

Teeth whitening supervised or performed by a dentist is increasingly popular, effective, affordable and (most importantly) safe. The products used are of a significantly higher strength and are designed to maximise contact with your teeth.

Your starting point is to raise the topic with your dentist and we’ll guide you from there. Once your teeth have been thoroughly examined and cleaned, the choice of which whitening approach to take depends on the causes of your teeth staining (e.g. smoking, or antibiotic staining), your time-frame for achieving results, and your budget. The choices we offer at Smile Solutions are twofold: dentist-supervised at-home whitening and in-chair whitening.

SUPERVISED AT-HOME WHITENING
The at-home bleaching process begins with your dentist taking moulds of your upper and lower teeth to make CUSTOM-fitted bleaching trays for you. Once you have received the trays, the procedure is very simple. Either on a daily or nightly basis you will need to wear your trays containing the appropriate whitening gel, as provided by your dentist. The duration of wear can range from one hour per day (while you watch TV or read) to overnight (while you sleep). This procedure is repeated daily or nightly for a few weeks.

Home teeth whitening has many advantages. It places the control in your hands, allowing you to dictate how ‘white’ your teeth become before you move on to the maintenance phase. As your maintenance system, it allows you to touch up the whiteness of your teeth. And finally it allows more ‘sensitive’ patients to tailor their whitening procedure to their comfort.

IN-CHAIR WHITENING
An alternative to at-home whitening is in-chair whitening, performed at the dentist. In-chair whitening is also known as professional whitening or power bleaching. It typically involves the use of a high-strength peroxide activated by a gentle ‘blue spectrum’ light.

At Lakeside Dental Spa, we can offer you the world’s most requested power bleaching option: Zoom teeth whitening. This procedure is carried out in a single visit, suitable for our time-poor and busy patients. The results of the power bleaching procedures can be enhanced and maintained in conjunction with at-home whitening or through annual or bi-annual visits to the dentist.

The post Home Teeth Whitening versus Having Your Teeth Whitened at the Dentist appeared first on Lakeside Dental Spa Hervey Bay.

If you are one of the lucky ones, and discolouration is your only concern, dentist-supervised teeth whitening alone may be a simple, safe, cost-effective and ‘conservative’ approach to enhancing your smile.

However, if the shade, shape, size and position of your teeth are all less than desirable, then veneers may be your best cosmetic option.

Veneers can be made from one of two types of material: composite or porcelain. Composite veneers are made of a plastic material that is bonded to the teeth and shaped by the dentist in the mouth to create the desired appearance. Composite veneers are cost-effective but they do stain, need more maintenance (e.g. smoothing and polishing, or repairs) and have a shorter lifespan than porcelain veneers.

Porcelain veneers are wafer-thin ceramic facings bonded to the outside surfaces of your teeth to modify their colour, shape, size and length as required. Unlike composite veneers, porcelain veneers do necessitate modification of your natural teeth. However, they don’t stain readily, are very strong, have an average lifespan of 10 to 15 years and require very little or no maintenance. Possibly one of the greatest advantages of porcelain veneers is their natural appearance, enabling them to blend in with the rest of the teeth. When done well, they should markedly enhance the features and beauty of your smile while being virtually undetectable.

The post Teeth Whitening versus Porcelain Veneers appeared first on Lakeside Dental Spa Hervey Bay.