Teeth Whitening
Who doesn’t want a brighter, whiter smile? At Hogans Road Dental we provide 3 easy options for teeth whitening to suit your style and budget!
How does teeth whitening work?
Teeth whitening agents use either hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide and work by removing stains on the outside and inside of teeth by breaking down the peroxide. At Hogans Road Dental we use a combination of both depending on your needs and availability to ensure you get the whitest smile that lasts a long time.
Different whitening options
In Chair
We begin by removing all plaque from the teeth and placing a barrier along the gums to protect them. We apply a thick whitening gel which is 40% hydrogen peroxide for 20 mins and this gel is removed and re-applied 2-3 times for optimum results. At the end of the appointment we provide a tray filled with desensitising agents and fluoride to help protect the teeth.
If there is an event coming up such as a wedding or birthday then the combination of in chair and take home whitening will give you a quick and effective result!
Take Home
We take moulds of your upper and lower teeth and make custom trays for a perfect fit. This ensures the whitening gel is directly over the teeth and no gel is wasted. We show you how much whitening gel to place inside the trays and how to place them in your mouth. Depending on your lifestyle the trays can be worn for 30 mins or overnight for 3 – 4 weeks. The concentration of the carbamide peroxide is dependent on how long the trays are in the mouth and are either 10% or 35%.
The take home whitening option provides the most predictable result with long lasting results and bright white teeth!
Ready to Go
Opalescence Go is 10% hydrogen peroxide and comes pre-filled in disposable trays that you can take anywhere with you on the go. You can wear the trays for 15-90 minutes per day for 5 – 10 days. Ready to Go is ideal for patients wanting to start the teeth whitening journey without the expense!
FAQs
What type of stains does teeth whitening remove?
Staining from coffee, tea, red wine
Staining caused by tobacco products
Dark teeth from trauma (such as sport injury when younger)
Chalky teeth (from a lack of mineral)
When will teeth whitening not work?
Is contraindicated in pregnant and breast-feeding women
Gum disease and decay
How do I go about getting my teeth whitened?
We’ll book you in for a dental check-up and x-rays (if needed) to make sure the gums and teeth are healthy and if any treatment is required we can do that prior to the teeth whitening.
Did you know you can get teeth whitening done at the same time as getting your Invisalign treatment? Click to learn more about Invisalign.
Why come to us for teeth whitening?
A common question that most people have is why come to a Dentist for teeth whitening? There are three main factors that you should consider when deciding between Dentist provided teeth whitening and over-the-counter options.
1 - How much whiter you want your teeth to be
2 - Your general oral health
3 - Financial budget
Over-the-counter treatments mean that you are responsible for applying the whitening agent and monitoring your treatment process. For safety reasons, patient applied and monitored treatments only allow whitening agents that are much weaker than those provided by Dentists. This generally means that the level of whitening and improvement is limited and lower than those provided by Dentists.
Your general oral health is the most important thing. We recommend that a check-up is done prior to any whitening treatment be it over-the-counter or at a Dentist. This ensures that teeth whitening is an appropriate option as sometimes if you have very sensitive teeth, active decay, gum recession or teeth stained from the inside out due to antibiotics whitening can worsen the situation and cause more discomfort.
Finally your financial budget must play a part in the decision process. Generally speaking the least expensive option is over-the-counter teeth whitening followed by take home whitening trays and bleaching agent provided by the Dentist with the most expensive being in-chair whitening.
Generally speaking Dentist provided teeth whitening is safer, more effective and longer lasting than over-the-counter treatments.
At Hogans Road Dental our whitening trays are custom fitted for your teeth meaning that the whitening gel is better distributed and you will get more uniform results.
Things to avoid during the whitening process
Tobacco products
Tea and coffee
Red wine
Bright and intensely coloured food and drink