Teeth whitening

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Withers Dental uses an at home tooth whitening kit for our patient’s who are interested in creating a whiter smile.
We offer a complimentary consultation with our hygiene team for patient’s who are interested in whitening their teeth and have had a recent examination. During the consultation we look at any pre-existing restorations that may affect the success of the treatment and establish the desired shade.
Once our patient decides they would like to go ahead with treatment we will take mould s of the upper and lower jaw to make personal bleaching trays to fit perfectly over the teeth. Once the trays have been prepared we will fit them and go through using the whitening system thoroughly.
A general dental check up with the dentist is essential before proceeding with bleaching to make sure there is no current gum disease or decay. If those conditions are neglected, the process of bleaching can cause rapid deterioration of those conditions. The effect of bleaching can last for several months, but may vary depending on the patient’s lifestyle. The bleaching regime can be repeated but a general check up with a dentist before repetition is still essential.

Why might our teeth need bleaching?

Teeth can become discoloured in many different ways. As we know baby teeth are generally much whiter than adult teeth. This is because as a person ages the adult teeth become darker due to changes in the mineral structure of the tooth and more of the colour of the dentine (second layer of tooth) is allowed to show through the more transparent enamel. Teeth can also become darker if the nerve of the tooth dies or if the tooth has had root canal treatment.
Certain antibiotic medication (e.g. tetracycline) can also cause teeth to discolour. The above mentioned are called intrinsic stains. Teeth can also become stained extrinsically by tobacco, bacterial pigments and foods.

How are teeth whitened?

There are many methods to whiten teeth. One of the most popular, cost effective and predictable options is an at-home bleaching kit. These kits use plastic trays which are custom made by the dentist using models of your teeth. It is followed by a home bleaching treatment. Home bleaching takes about two weeks and the tray has to be worn throughout the night during sleep or a few hours daily. The result also depends on the initial level of staining of the teeth and the type of staining.

Bleaching can cause or increase sensitivity. Therefore, a bleaching regime should always be coupled with the application of a re-mineralising product to help with the sensitivity.

For teeth that have darkened due to dead nerve or root canal treatment, a different method needs to be implemented. Firstly teeth with dead nerves should be treated with root canal therapy to remove the infected nerve. Once this treatment is complete it can be whitened just like any other tooth that has had root canal therapy. Bleaching material is placed inside the tooth, sealed off and left there for two weeks.


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