Over time, your teeth can change colour as ageing, bacterial pigments and drinking coloured liquids reduce the brilliance of your tooth enamel.
Tooth whitening is a safe, popular process in which a bleaching gel is applied to the front surface of your teeth and, after a course of treatment, causes the outer layer to become whiter.
What causes tooth discolouration?
The most common cause is aging, our teeth darken with time. Consumption of staining substances such as coffee, tea, wine and tobacco accelerates this process.
Do many people whiten their teeth?
Many patients are whitening their teeth, as it is an easy way to have a sparkling smile and feel better about yourself. You may find you take better care of your teeth once you appreciate your new whiter smile.
Is tooth bleaching safe?
Yes. Research shows that if prescribed under the supervision of a dentist, tooth whitening is safe.
How is it performed?
Harris Dental offers you the choice of two methods to brighten your smile and whiten your teeth: at home or in-surgery.
At home
For the ‘at home’ method, an impression is taken of your teeth and small, thin trays are fabricated into which bleaching solution is placed and worn over your teeth for approximately an hour per day. It takes seven to 14 days to achieve the desired amount of bleaching. With this system, you can bleach your teeth in your own time, and it is cheaper than professional in-surgery systems.
In-surgery
The ‘Zoom’ method is a light-assisted procedure for whitening discoloured teeth. The process takes only one visit of approximately 1.5 hours. The gel is painted on your teeth and a specialised lamp is used to warm the gel and help activate the whitening process, giving you a better result than ‘home whitening’, as the gel used is stronger.
Want to know more?
Watch this YouTube clip from Phillips explaining how the whitening process works.
Harris Dental Tooth Whitening Gallery
