Book a teeth whitening appointment now. Or call Smilecentre Bundall on (07)55921999 or Currumbin Fair Dental on (07)55985666 to get your teeth whitening journey started.
When it comes to making a first impression, it never hurts to have a winning smile. Despite anyone’s best efforts, your teeth will show signs of staining over time and will need a little bit of help to restore them to their previous shade. Luckily, there are a number of different teeth whitening procedures to choose from, to help your smile looking its best.
No two people will have teeth of the exact same shade as everything from diet, to illness or simply genetics all play a role in how your teeth look. Most people will be able to see an improvement in colour with a tooth whitening procedure, and you might even be able to achieve that brilliant-white smile you’ve dreamed of. Whitening may be done for a number of reasons, from personal cosmetics, to a need to create uniformity once braces are removed.
Teeth Whitening Gold Coast
The most common methods of teeth whitening involve bleaching the teeth. This will have the effect of reducing any discolouration without damaging the surface of the teeth. Usually, your bleach will consist of a compound which contains peroxide, such as hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide.
Whilst you may have heard of peroxide, not many people know what it is and the word causes a lot of fear. At its most basic, every atom of oxygen is able to make two bonds. The oxygen we breathe in is a compound formed when two atoms are joined together using both their bonds. Peroxide, then, is the name given when an atom of oxygen bonds to another using only a single bond. This allows them to use their other bond to form compounds with other atoms. In the case of hydrogen peroxide, each atom of oxygen shares a bond with an atom of hydrogen. As this compound gets broken down, the oxygen is released and is then able to enter the enamel and produce the whitening effect.
Following an examination of your teeth and gums, your dentist will be able to decide whether or not this type of whitening will work for you. It is important to note that dental hygiene and lifestyle plays an important role in whether or not whitening will work for you. Poor brushing and flossing habits, excessive smoking, drinking of red wine, coffee and other staining substances can impact the effectiveness of whitening.
Zoom In-Chair Whitening
At Boctor Dental Smilecentre, our most successful and instant way of whitening teeth is using our Zoom In-Chair whitening system. With Zoom In-Chair whitening, your Dentist will apply the whitening material and have you sit in the chair for a period of time. It’s pretty much an instant result. Whilst the procedure is occasionally referred to as ‘laser’ whitening, it actually uses a zoom lamp and not a laser to speed up the breakdown of the gel.
Your Dentist will use gauze and a special gel to protect your gums and lips before applying the peroxide gel as required. This isolation is important as it is bleach and can burn your gums and soft tissue. The gel is brushed onto your teeth by your Dentist. You should expect the entire procedure to last between 60 and 90 minutes, which is something to bear in mind when making appointments.
The treatment consists of a 3 x 15 minute cycles of Zoom light exposure, with gel being re-applied in between each one. It is very common to experience sensitivity within your teeth during the second and third cycles. In order for the treatment to be most effective, you will need to have all three exposures, so if you can tough it out through the sensitivity, you will get the best results. You may find that, following your treatment, your teeth feel sensitive and may possibly tingle. Your dentist can apply a remineralising agent called “Tooth Mousse” to your teeth, which will provide some instant relief. You can even purchase a tube to take home if it feels very sensitive.
The end result of the Zoom In-Chair Teeth Whitening procedure is usually amazing. You’ll be able to see the change in whiteness and brightness straight away and we’ve found that in a lot of cases the brightness increases more over the next few days.
Philips Zoom also has at home whitening options.
Take Home Whitening
As the name suggests, take home whitening is a whitening procedure which can be done in the comfort of your own home. At Boctor Dental Smilecentre we use Dentist-Prescribed Colgate Optic White for our take home whitening, which is fairly simple to use and produces good results.
Because you are occupying less of the Dentist’s time than with Zoom, take home tooth whitening is much more affordable. However it will take longer to achieve the desired results as the peroxide concentration is not as high as Zoom. This is because you will be self-administering, rather than the Dentist.
Your Dentist will take impressions of your teeth to make you custom bleach trays. Having custom fitting bleach trays means your Dentist can provide higher peroxide levels than other over-the-counter whitening, meaning a better whitening result. After your custom bleach trays have been constructed, you will be given the peroxide gel and thorough instructions for your treatment. Failure to follow these instructions will reduce how well the treatment works.
At home you will generally apply the whitening for 30 minutes. You will do this on three consecutive days, making up one cycle of whitening. You may need to take a break between days if you are experiencing sensitivity.
Your Dentist may recommend multiple cycle applications to achieve desired results – but only follow your Dentist’s instructions as it is possible to over-whiten and create translucency in your teeth.
Private Health Insurance Teeth Whitening
Do you have extras cover on your Private Health Insurance? Some private health funds include tooth whitening procedures in their list of covered items. To find out if your health fund covers whitening, call or contact one of our locations today to get the relevant item number to quote to your health insurer.
Talking to your Dentist will enable the pair of you to agree on which treatment best suits your current needs and circumstances and hopefully you should now find that the teeth whitening procedure has been demystified. Something to keep in mind is that you will have the best tooth whitening results if you first have an examination, scale and clean, to remove excess stain and plaque build up and create the cleanest tooth surface to whiten. Call us today to have a chat to our staff and book in an appointment to find out if whitening will work for you:
Bundall (07) 5592 1999
Currumbin (07) 5598 5666.
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