Author: James Goolnik Category: Beauty, Dental Care
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A brighter smile can freshen your appearance, but how can you achieve this without damaging your teeth?

By using peroxide based gels your dentist can gently lift off stains from your teeth leaving you with a cleaner brighter smile.  There are two main ways of achieving this:

In-surgery whitening also known as laser or power bleaching

Here, more concentrated gels are applied directly to the teeth and accelerated with heat or light (laser/power).  The latest power bleaching is called Zoom Advanced Power, from Phillips.  It involves placing the gel on the teeth and activating it with an LED light.  The procedure usually takes around 60 minutes.  It still needs custom made trays to maximise the whitening and for maintenance.  Available from your Dentist for around £499.

Pros: One visit, fast result.  Cons: Can be sensitive on the day they are treated, only able to whiten the front ten teeth, more expensive.

Tray based whitening 

The gel is placed in a custom made night-guard which is worn for a set period for 10-14 days.  The latest gels only need to be worn for about an hour each day.  Usually available at your Dentist for around £250.

Pros: More cost-effective, can just do upper or lower teeth (good if they are not all dark or you are on a budget). Cons: Takes 10-14 days to get full effect, teeth can be sensitive for this time, need to be dextrous to use the gels and trays.

Over the counter products

The only proven system is the strip based products like Crest Whitestrips.  These are thin, flexible transparent bands that are coated with a tooth whitening gel containing 6% Hydrogen Peroxide and are designed to mould to your front teeth.  Strips work best if you have straight, uniformly sized teeth.  They are usually worn for 20 minutes once a day for 10-14 days.  They retail for £42 Crest Whitestrips

Pros: Cheapest proven option, no moulds just buy a box (only available online) Cons: Takes 10-14 days to get full effect, only whitens your front teeth and are fiddly to use.

With the In-surgery whitening you will see the result on the day.  If you are using the trays or strips it will take 3 days to start to notice your teeth becoming lighter.  The full effect takes 14 days to get the best result. Ask your Dentist which is best for your teeth and what result you will achieve before you start.

Some people may experience tooth sensitivity or gum discomfort when using whitening products but this is only temporary and NOT harmful.  If significant discomfort or sensitivity does develop, try skipping a day and extend the total number of days of your whitening.  You can use a sensitive toothpaste for 20 minutes in your trays (after removing the whitening gel) to help reduce this.

James Goolnik is a Dentist and founder of the award winning Bow Lane Dental Group which is in London.  James Goolnik recently published his book “Brush”. 100% of the profits go to Dentaid to support access to oral health for the underserved populations.  He is a trustee of the charity “Heart your Smile” aimed at getting more people to visit their dentist.

Bow Lane Dental