Teeth Whitening - Effective, Affordable and Popular

Customised home whitening kits available at your local Greenwich dentist.

By far the most popular cosmetic dental treatment in the UK is a tooth whitening procedure. This is a non invasive treatment which is fast acting, painless and affordable for most patients.

There are many reasons why people want to have nicer teeth, perhaps they have a wedding or other special occasion coming up, or perhaps are starting to date again after some time. Whatever the specific reason though, ultimately, people want a teeth whitening procedure to give them a greatly improved smile.

Why do teeth darken?

Discoloured teeth can occur for any number of reasons. Smoking is obviously something which will cause heavy discolouration, and regular consumption of staining foods or drinks, such as coffee or red wine will also contribute to this. Even avoidance of these substances though will not spare most of us. The reality is that, as we get older, the inner part of our teeth darken and there is nothing that we can do about it.

Whitening toothpastes

We would like to note here that teeth whitening toothpastes will have very little effect on the colour of your teeth. Whilst they may help to lengthen the time your teeth stay white, following a professional teeth whitening procedure, there is simply insufficient quantity of the whitening ingredient in these products (for safety reasons) to whiten discoloured teeth more than a just little.

Home whitening kits

The home teeth whitening kits which you can buy over the counter do contain higher levels of the whitening ingredient, which is a form of bleach. The trays in these kits, in which the whitening gel is placed, however, are mass produced and are likely not to fit tightly against your teeth. This means that, in some cases, people have suffered burns to the lips and gums as the bleach has leaked out. At the Confidental Clinic in Greenwich, we offer patients a customised version of these kits. These are individually produced following impressions being taken of your mouth. The impressions are then sent to a dental laboratory for the trays to be made and you will be recalled to ensure that they fit comfortably and securely, minimising any leakage from the whitening agent.

We suggest that you wear the trays for several hours each day for approximately a fortnight - but your dentist will advise. The length of time though will depend on your own requirements and some patients prefer to not go the whole way and have less brilliantly white teeth at the end of the treatment; the choice is yours if you prefer a more natural look.

Subsequent whitening treatments will also be more affordable as you will already have the trays (so keep these clean and safe). Many patients top up the whiteness of their teeth from time to time with no side effects at all.

If you have any questions about the teeth whitening procedure and would like to talk to your nearby Greenwich dentist about it, please feel free to call us at the Confidental Clinic on 020 8858 1422.