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THE 5 SECRETS OF TEETH WHITENING

Teeth Whitening otherwise known as teeth bleaching is highly effective.  The best teeth whitening or the best teeth bleaching is completed in a professional setting at a dentist.   The following is from our published Linkedin Articles.

Following these 5 secrets will help you get the best results from your professional teeth whitening.

1. The cause of the stain or discolouration must be diagnosed.  Discolouration or yellow marks on teeth can be due to caries or holes in your teeth, old fillings that need replacing, dead teeth, staining from foods in your diet, habits such as smoking or drug induced stains.  Trying to whiten teeth with discolouration’s that cannot be whitened is frustrating and a waste of your time and money. Whitening agents will not be able to penetrate through staining, plaque and build up on your teeth.

2. Know your whitening agents.  There are two agents we use – Carbamide Peroxide(CP) and Hydrogen Peroxide(HP).  CP releases its activity over 6-8 hours.  HP releases its activity over 30-60 minutes so you need way less time for it to work.  If we look at strength the % of carbamide peroxide is equal to approximately 1/3 of the % hydrogen peroxide. (eg: 10%CP is about equal to 3%HP).  The relationship is also not linear so 22% CP is not 2 times faster at working than 10%CP.

3. “In office whitening lights” that are marketed to whiten your teeth do not improve the ultimate end result of whitening.  They can be used to jump start the whitening process and can help shorten the whitening time in severe stained cases, but the take home kits at about 1/3rd the price will give you the same end result.  ALL in office teeth whitening, light or no light,  is subject to a relapse of half a shade in the week following completion.  However, In office whitening can hold its shade if a take home kit is used for a few days following.  All our in office whitening at Leichhardt St Dental Practice is accompanied by a take home kit.

4. You can continue to drink red wine and drink tea and coffee whilst whitening your teeth, but it will slow the process down.  You may need to follow up with an extra few days of whitening to make up for it.

5. Sensitivity is a side effect of whitening your teeth. With the newer and modern formulations provided in our take home kits today, we rarely find this to be a problem.  Pre-brushing with a de-sensitising toothpaste that contains potassium nitrate as its active ingredient 2 weeks prior to commencing teeth whitening will diminish or even eliminate sensitivity.

Want more?  Click to find out How Teeth Whitening Works?

If you would like to know more about how effective the best teeth whitening is,  call us for a chat on (07) 3839 7279.  We look forward to making you smile again!

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