How to brighten your smile with teeth whitening
Our expert in residence, dentist Gulshan Dhanoya from Honour Health in Jesmond, talks to us about teeth whitening.
By Gulshan Dhanoya
Gulshan was shortlisted as a finalist for her teeth whitening work in the Aesthetic Dentistry Awards 2018, and is a finalist for Best Young Dentist in the Private Dentistry Awards 2019.
What are the benefits of going to a dentist for teeth whitening?
A whiter, healthier-looking smile is such a great confidence boost, especially as a smile is the first thing people tend to notice when they meet someone new.
Smoking, drinking tea, coffee and red wine can all stain your teeth, but visiting the dentist for a teeth whitening treatment is a really effective way of removing staining and brightening your smile in just a few weeks – or even in just a few hours.
Bear in mind that anyone who carries out teeth whitening is legally required to be a dental professional. If they’re not, then it’s illegal for them to provide teeth whitening.
At Honour Health, we examine your teeth and gums to check that they are healthy before carrying out any teeth whitening treatment.
What teeth whitening options are available?
We offer two options at Honour Health, depending on how quickly you’d like to whiten your teeth. It’s important to know that teeth whitening will only change the colour of your natural teeth and won’t work on veneers, fillings or composite bonding.
The first option is home teeth whitening. We take impressions so that we can make bespoke trays to fit over your teeth, which look a little like mouthguards. At your next appointment, we check the fit of these trays and we show you how to apply a small amount of gel to them. You’ll leave the clinic with a whitening kit, containing four syringes of gel and your trays. Apply the gel to the trays before you go to bed and wear them overnight for two or three weeks to gradually whiten your teeth while you sleep. If you would rather not sleep with trays in your mouth, we can offer a ‘day’ whitening kit instead. This contains a different gel and enables you to wear the trays for two hours each day, for two to three weeks, instead of overnight.
The beauty of having your whitening kit at home is that you can use your remaining syringes of gel whenever you’d like to top up your whitening.
The second option is in-surgery teeth whitening which is popular with patients who are short of time and want a one-off teeth whitening treatment with immediate results. It’s a particularly good option for patients with sensitive teeth. This treatment takes place during one hour-long appointment at the clinic. A whitening gel is placed on the surface of the teeth, and a light is shone on the teeth to activate the whitening process. While this is happening, you can relax and listen to music, knowing your teeth are gradually getting whiter!
Are there side effects?
Some patients experience sensitivity during the teeth whitening process. This is temporary and will only last while you are whitening your teeth. We offer supplementary toothpaste called Biomin to patients to help prevent sensitivity.
How long do the results last?
The effects of teeth whitening can last for up to three years, although this really depends on how often you eat and drink products that stain your teeth, such as tea, coffee, red wine and curry. Smoking will also stain your teeth.
Is there anything else I could do for a whiter smile?
We recommend that our patients book a hygiene appointment before beginning teeth whitening, to achieve better results. Our signature Airflow hygiene treatment features a state of the art Airflow machine that cleans and polishes the teeth with a mix of water, compressed air and fine powder particles, to reveal a brighter smile. It’s great for gentle stain and plaque removal and is ideal for anyone with sensitive teeth. We offer combination packages for patients booking Airflow and whitening appointments.
Interested in teeth whitening?
Book a free consultation with Gulshan at Honour Health Jesmond via the website https://www.honourhealth.co.uk, call 0191 281 3913 or email [email protected]
Honour Health has two further clinics in Ponteland and Stanley. Take a look at all three clinics at https://www.honourhealth.co.uk
https://www.honourhealth.co.uk/
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