The colour of your teeth can be the result of genes, hygiene, diet or specific treatments. These you can do yourself – with home remedies or opt for professional overlay whitening. Another option for a white smile is teeth whitening at a dentist in the UK. If you are wondering what such a treatment looks like, how much it costs and how to pay less – I invite you to read the article.
Tooth colour – what you can and cannot influence
The biggest influence on tooth colour is oral hygiene. We would like to remind you that it is not only about thorough brushing, flossing and using mouthwash. It is also about regular visits to the dentist.
Why is this so important? You are not able to remove some of the plaque and tartar, and this can quickly damage your teeth and make their colour yellow. Therefore, in order to avoid this and also to take care of your dental health, we recommend that you visit the office every six months for a hygiene check-up. You can read more about it in our article ‘Dental hygiene in the UK – scaling, teeth sandblasting, polishing and fluoridation’.
Other factors that affect the colour of your teeth are a good diet or not smoking. However, there are situations that even by following the above you may not have a white smile. Genes or your age will be the culprit, but you can read more about this in our article ‘What the colour of your teeth depends on’.
What then?
Teeth whitening – possible options
In-office teeth whitening is one option, which we will describe below. However, before we move on to it we will briefly introduce you to the other options.
You can find a lot of information on the web about the effectiveness of activated charcoal, baking soda or lemon juice as a teeth whitening method. However, before you decide, read our text ‘Home remedies for teeth whitening – pros and cons’. Keep in mind that some of them will not only have no effect, but may damage your teeth.
A much better option is to visit a dental practice and choose one of the options recommended by your dentist.
The first one is overlay teeth whitening, about which we wrote more in the text with a similar title ‘Overlay teeth whitening at home’. It involves applying a special preparation to your teeth, which is previously applied to a splint made of transparent, flexible material. These are fitted to your teeth.
Another option is in-office teeth whitening or a combination of both treatments, i.e. opting for the Enlighten system. It gives the best and most long-lasting (even for the rest of your life) results. You can read more about this in our article ‘Teeth whitening with the Enlighten system, or a snow-white smile in 2 weeks’. Today we will focus on in-office teeth whitening.
Before you decide to have your teeth whitened by a dentist in the UK
Whether you decide on overlay whitening, whitening at the dentist or the Enlighten system, the first stage will be an interview and a check-up of your oral health.
The most common contraindications to whitening are tooth decay, periodontitis or inflammation of the gums. However, these are not the only situations that will make you wait for a snow-white smile. Therefore, if you want to have white teeth it is better to opt for whitening at your dentist, and certainly consult your dentist about your decision.
If there are no contraindications, the next step will be the hygienization we mentioned earlier.
Only after this will you be able to whiten your teeth at the dentist or on your own at home.
In-office teeth whitening – what does the procedure look like?
In-office teeth whitening is a one-off visit during which your dentist will apply a special preparation to your teeth. It will be in the form of a foam or gel. Then, using a professional lamp, the effect of the preparation will be intensified.
The whole procedure is painless and safe, and the results are visible immediately afterwards.
IMPORTANT: If you experience tooth sensitivity after the procedure – rest assured, this is normal.
Remember also that if you want the effect to last as long as possible, do not eat or drink for 2 hours after the treatment and avoid tooth-staining products for at least a week.
