|
Frequently Asked Questions?
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Some patients experience temporary tooth sensitivity to hot and cold. This usually
occurs on
the first day and ceases to exist when you are not whitening your teeth.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
Substantial clinical and laboratory research has shown that the tooth whitening gel has no
adverse affects on your teeth.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
No. Tooth whitening will not affect fillings, crowns or tooth coloured restoration and they
will remain the same shade. The only thing you may find is that it may remove some of the
staining around some of your older restorations ( fillings).
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Your treatment will be done using custom trays and professional products. Over the counter
products are not proper fitting and usually very bulky and this could cause spotting of your
teeth by not allowing the whitening solution to evenly distribute over your teeth. Also some of
the over the counter products may contain harmful acids and other products which may do
damage to your teeth and gums.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
The whitening process can last anywhere from 2-5 years but a lot depends on your level of
care after the process has been carried out. The advantage of having custom trays is that you
are able to apply the whitening products any time you wish. Your will be personally instructed
on their use and if products change over time you are able to still keep up with the changes
without additional expenses.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
6. My teeth are sensitive during
the whitening..what can I do ?
There are four things that you can do to help eliminate sensitivity that may be caused by
whitening |
|
|
|
|
|
|
i. |
Wear the whitener for a shorter period of
time. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
ii. |
Brush your teeth with sensodyne toothpaste . The sensodyne
toothpaste has a high
concentration of fluoride and the fluoride will stop the sensitivity. Wear the
solution
in the tray for 4 minutes prior and after whitening procedures. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
iii. |
You may purchase from the practice or the pharmacy some
gel-kam. It has a high
concentration of fluoride and the fluoride will stop the sensitivity. Wear the solution
in the tray for 4 minutes prior and after the whitening procedure. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
iv. |
Stop the whitening for a few days so the teeth can adapt
to the whitening
procedure. |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
It is not known scientifically if problem do occur with pregnant or lactating (breast feeding )
women but for precautions sake it has been recommended that this group of people abstain
from using the whitening products.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
If your teeth are whiter along the edges of your teeth, this is due to the enamel being thinner
along the edges. Continue to whiten your teeth and the part of the tooth where the enamel is,
will whiten to the same shade as the edges. If you have round spots on your teeth, these are
usually calcium deposits. As you whiten your teeth these will flare up. Continue to whiten
your teeth until that part of your tooth reaches the colour your desire and then discontinue.
The calcium deposits will fade in a couple of weeks of not using the whitening products.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Depending on what system you decide to use, will determine how white your teeth will go.
Zoom whitening will give and average of 9 shade changes in you tooth colour.
Home use systems will give and average of 4-5 shade changes.
Toothpastes can give up to 1.5 (one and half times) changes which is very insignificant
because you will have to use it daily for at least 30 days whereas with Britesmile it is within
one hour. With the take home systems it usually takes about 64 hours.
Our spectra shade computer will give you an anaylsis and a good indication before you start
on any of the whitening procedures.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
10. Is it painful
?
There does exist the possibility to get some sensitivity after the whitening procedures,
especially if you have gum recession or cracked teeth that is why the dentist does a thorough
exam before whitening is carried out. The possibility is greater with the quick one hour
systems but if it does occur it will normally go within a few hours or by the next day. It is
advisable to not have hot or cold foods for the initial day of the whitening . If pain does occur
a mild analgesic like Panadol will help.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
With the tooth being a porous structure it is important to maintain the whitening procedure.
In all cases you will be given or have a whitening tray to place gel in to, to maintain the colour
of your teeth.
Three things are required.
1. Good oral hygiene daily.
2. Keep very pigmented food like
coffee/tea/red wine to a minimum.
3. Use your maintenance syringes once a
month.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
You should be over the age of 14 as it is at this time which the colour of your teeth starts to
become fairly stable. In people younger than 14 it's often used where orthodontic braces have
left stains on the teeth. After this period you can be as mature as you wish to be as there is no
limit on maturity.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
One hour tooth whitening systems can cost up to $1,300.00 or more depending on the surgery (
this price usually includes your total number of visits and your maintenance kit)
The take home surgery monitored kits can cost from $400.00 -$1,000.00 depending on the
level of service and the type of kit used.
These prices will usually be inclusive of gst.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Teeth are porous structures and over time the pigments from what we eat and drink get
lodged into the teeth. This results in a change in the reflective properties of the teeth and
hence the darken as we get older. The new generation of whitening products convert those
pigments back to carbon dioxide and water and hence the colour and the brightness of the
tooth returns. The way in which these various solutions are delivered determines the cost of
the procedures. The quality of the solution do vary so be careful in your choice of system
you may entertain on using.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
When choosing your health professional to carry out whitening bear in mind a number of issues.
1. Your health professional has an interest in cosmetic dentistry ( do their premise/staff reflect
this).
2. Is there a good follow up to see that you achieve your goals ( ie the use of the kit is
monitored).
3. Ask the staff if they have had whitening carried out.
4. Do they have some form of warranty or money back guarantee.
5. Does the surgery have good support material to help you make a choice in the different
whitening procedures.
6. What systems are in place to make sure your teeth remain white long term.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Tetracycline staining falls into three categories, and you can try to asses yourself to see
what
group you fall into
Type I Light Yellow, brown or grey stain
that is uniform throughout the tooth
without
any colour bands
Type II Dark Yellow, brown or grey with colour bands.
Type III Dark Grey or blue grey stain is characterized by
marked banding in the
tooth
Type I & II will respond to the whitening process but the Type III will need to have
a
combination of whitening and dental crown work. Tetracycline staining is difficult to whiten
and you can not expect the type of results normally formed teeth will achieve, Most people
with tetracycline staining are happy with a couple of shade changes but our objective is
to
achieve the best whitening possible
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
