Archive for June, 2009

Tooth whitening can be a highly effective way of lightening the natural colour of your teeth without removing or altering the surface of the teeth. It is one of the most commonly performed cosmetic dental procedures, but before embarking on it you need to know if it is right for you.

Teeth that have become stained from age, coffee, tea or smoking are ideal candidates. Patients with healthy, natural, and unrestored teeth often achieve dazzling results. Teeth darkened with extrinsic, or surface stains, respond better to bleaching than deep, intrinsic discoloration caused by fluorosis or tetracycline.  It is important to note that existing fillings, veneers, crowns and bridges will not change colour.

Many tooth whitening systems are available, all working under different time frames and with different concentrations of bleach. Instant “power whitening” involves the use of high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide activated by special light. The disadvantages of these procedures are that the strong bleaching agents can potentially cause damage to the gums, the teeth are possibly more sensitive afterwards and the results may fade more quickly than hoped.

At St Paul’s Square Dental Practice we use the Enlighten Evolution system. It is the only system in the world to guarantee that the teeth will get to a “VITA shade B1” which is the whitest shade on a regular dentist shade guide. The procedure is simple and takes 2 weeks for 95% of patients. We take a special impression of your teeth and send this to Enlighten Evolution’s dedicated lab where new “super sealed” bleaching trays are made. These trays are worn for 2 weeks before a visit to the practice is made for a 40 minute session under the dentist’s supervision. Amazingly, the super-sealed trays allow us to use lower concentrations of the whitening agent than most other systems, minimizing problems with sensitivity. The results are long lasting and can be maintained by periodic wear of the trays.

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