Whitening
A popular cosmetic dental treatment, teeth whitening lightens the colour of your teeth. You’ll find various methods of teeth whitening, including at-home kits you can buy at the drugstore, as well as professional treatments only performed in a dental office.
By and large, the natural colour of our teeth exists within a range of shades, from light greyish to shades of yellow. Teeth darken with age naturally, and their appearance and colour are affected by the accumulation of surface stains from consuming certain food and drink and the use of tobacco products.
Additionally, our perception of someone’s teeth colour is significantly affected by makeup and skin tone. Independent of the actual colour of their teeth, people who wear dark makeup or if they have a darker complexion, they’ll appear to have brighter, whiter teeth. Our teeth aren’t meant to be completely white, yet many of us want a brighter smile.
Despite there being a wide range of whitening options available, they fall into only two main categories: surface whiteners and bleaches.
Please note that when it comes to claims pertaining to tooth whitening, Health Canada considers them cosmetic in nature. They must be accurate and not mislead the public. However, the regulator does accept some exaggeration or puffery. Consequently, the results of whitening may be less convincing than consumers originally expected.
Surface Whiteners
Using special abrasives, surface whiteners, can improve the product’s effectiveness at removing surface stains. Surface whiteners come as either toothpaste or chewing gums. Only a finer version of what you might find in regular toothpaste, the special abrasives are unlikely to cause excessive wear on the teeth. The effectiveness of this type of product is limited to surface stains so you shouldn’t use it as a substitute for professional cleaning.
Bleaches
Peroxide-based, bleaching products can change the colour of the tooth. But that doesn’t mean that all tooth discolouration responds to tooth-bleaching treatments. If you’re thinking about tooth bleaching, we recommend that you consult with your dentist so they can determine the cause of your tooth discolouration. They can tell you if they believe that a bleaching treatment will have the desired result. It’s also recommended you see the dentist before bleaching treatment if you have fillings, have had a root canal treatment, have crowns and/or have extremely dark stains on the anterior teeth.
There are various bleaching techniques, and products available. Your dentist will opt for one of the following two methods:
Vital bleaching. If you have stained or discoloured teeth from food or tobacco or if they’re darkened with age, this is an effective bleaching treatment for “living” teeth.
Non-vital bleaching. For teeth that are no longer “living”. If the tooth is discoloured because of a root canal, this bleaching technique can lighten the tooth from the inside out.
You will choose the type of method depending on how many teeth you want to bleach and the degree of discolouration or staining.
Have you had teeth whitening? Need a refill solution?
If you have already had a treatment but need more solution to maintain your results at home, we offer solution refills. Check-in with our reception staff!