Do your teeth look a little duller than they used to?
Don’t worry, it’s completely normal for your teeth to change shade as you get older. Teeth get subjected to a lot of dye from food you eat, such as coffee, curry or red wine. They’ll also look more dull if you are a smoker.
But that’s not to say you have to live with your new shade of tooth!
What can I do to brighten my teeth?
First off, visit us routinely. If we’ve suggested you come every 6 months, then please do for a scale and polish. This’ll stop plaque and tartar clinging to your teeth, giving food something to latch onto and discolouring your teeth. We also want to make sure any discolouring isn’t from decay. If you have decay, then we will need to do a filling. We’ll also polish your teeth with prophy paste that will get rid of any surface stains.
My scale was great, but my teeth are still discoloured. What else can I try?
So the only thing that will be able to whiten your teeth, is a course of tooth whitening treatment. Believe me when I say, and I’ve tried them all over the years, whitening toothpastes are a waste of time. They only remove surface staining. They cannot change the shade of your tooth. The only way you can do that is with tooth bleach. Not kitchen bleach! Please don’t put that on your teeth, but the special tooth whitening bleach that we use at the practice.
But my local beauty salon does tooth whitening and it’s a quarter of the cost of your treatment. Why can’t I go there?
A few years back, the GDC (General Dental Council) made it illegal for anyone other than a dentist to perform tooth whitening. Beauty salons are not trained in how to deal with your teeth, so they are not allowed to carry out any sort of treatment on your teeth. Visit the GDC website to find out more.
But my salon uses a blue light. Will that not work?
The only thing the blue light will do, will be to dry out your teeth, giving the impression that they have changed colour. Once they get remineralised with your saliva, they will go back to whatever shade they were before. Please do not risk your oral health by going to a salon!
Ok, so what can you offer me?
Well, I’m glad you asked! We have two sorts of tooth whitening at the practice. Click on the links below to find out more.
Both give fantastic results, both are easy to do, both use mouth guards and bleaching gel, and only the Enlighten Whitening needs you to actually have any in surgery time, and that’s only because we can’t let you go home with the bleach as it’s strong and really does the job.
If you’re interested in whitening, then please call us today for a consultation on 0121 550 6958.