Tooth whitening is one of the most common cosmetic procedures done worldwide. Most people are looking for a whiter healthier-looking smile. Tooth whitening is a safe and affordable way to improve your smile.
When looking at tooth discolouration, two types of stains cause a change in the appearance of our teeth. Extrinsic stains are the superficial stains caused by tea, coffee, red wine, smoking etc. Intrinsic stains are found in the microcracks of the enamel and deep dentine. Ageing, trauma, naturally dark teeth, and certain medications cause intrinsic stains.
We have come a long way in the whitening procedure if you think the ancient Romans used urine and goat’s milk to try and create pearly whites. In today’s whitening treatments, the two main ingredients are hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide. The peroxide penetrates the porosities in the rod-like crystal structure of the enamel and causes an oxidation reaction that breaks down the stain deposits in the tooth.
Dentist-supervised whitening can be done in-chair (power bleaching), where a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide is carefully applied to the isolated teeth and then a light is applied to activate the chemical process. Home bleaching is when the patient wears a custom-fitted mouth tray with the whitening gel.
Every person’s teeth are different; as mentioned above, tooth discolouration has different causes. Due to this, whitening procedures need to be tailored to the specific patients needs. Every patient needs to have a full assessment and ideally a clean before they whiten their teeth. The dentist needs to assess if the patient is a good candidate for whitening.
One of the most common complications of whitening is tooth sensitivity. It is usually short lasting and with proper pre and post-whitening hypersensitivity treatments (usually using potassium nitrate or fluoride) this can be minimised.
At Adno Dental, in Edgecliff, we offer ZOOM in-chair whitening and take-home whitening options.
We look forward to seeing you at our beautiful new custom-built premises located a Level 1 100 New South Head Road, Edgecliff.
Phone: 02 9363 9213
Website: www.adnodental.com.au
