Teeth whitening is the process of removing stains and discolouration from teeth and improving their colour through a bleaching process to make them look “whiter”.

For heavily stained teeth, a procedure as simple as a scale and polish from a dental hygienist can significantly improve their appearance.

Most cosmetic dental practices offer a combination of immediate, in-surgery teeth whitening and professional take-home tooth-whitening kits with custom-made trays. Both procedures are based on a bleaching process that uses a peroxide-based compound of varying strength (3%-30% peroxide). The higher the concentration of peroxide in the compound, the more powerful the bleaching compound is. While this makes it more effective at whitening the teeth, it also has greater potential to cause damage to the surrounding gum tissue and your lips.

Home teeth-whitening kits

Take-home whitening kits provide more permanent results over a longer time scale, whereas laser whitening offers immediate results. A combination of the two provides the perfect solution to both immediate and long-term whitening needs.

What are the side effects of teeth whitening?

Some people experience no pain or sensitivity with their teeth. However, the majority of people will experience some kind of sensitivity either during and/or after the initial treatment. This is usually described by patients as sporadic, sharp shooting pains coming from their teeth. This should settle down after approximately 48 hours though. Your dentist may give you a special gel or mousse to apply to your teeth to help with the sensitivity. It is advisable to avoid hot or cold food and drinks within the first 48 hours of your whitening treatment.