Hydrogen peroxide teeth whitening has been proven to remove intrinsic stains from your teeth. Intrinsic stains are those that are inside the dentin of your teeth, under the enamel. Only hydrogen peroxide whitening gels and hydrogen carbamide solutions are strong enough to penetrate the tooth enamel and break up the molecules that are causing the discolouration.
At Southern Smiles, our dentists are highly skilled in the art of tooth whitening with hydrogen peroxide and can assist you in finding the brand that best suits your needs in the timeframe that suits your lifestyle.
What Are The Benefits Of Hydrogen Peroxide Teeth Whitening?
Professional in-chair whitening with hydrogen peroxide bleaching agents is quick and effective. Many patients can nip out of the office for an hour and return to work with a whiter smile.
The procedure is ideal to whiten your smile before a big event and can be customised to suit your ideal shade of white.
What Causes Teeth To Stain?
As we get older the dentin inside the teeth begins to get discoloured. When this is combined with different lifestyles that include tobacco use, certain medications and caffeinated beverages, our teeth can lose the natural whiteness that makes us look young.
What Other Whitening Options Are Available?
Whitening toothpastes usually contain mild abrasives but these only work on surface stains or extrinsic stains. Over the counter whitening kits and strips contain do contain bleaching agents but in very low concentrations and people often leave them on for too long because they do not appear to be working. Whitening strips can also produce uneven results, as they are most effective on the front flat surface, but less so on the sides of the teeth.
What Can You Expect From The Teeth Whitening Process?
It is important to note that you need to have a full dental inspection before doing any kind of whitening treatment. This is to ensure that you do not have any cavities and to ensure your tooth enamel is strong enough.
Your dentist will discuss your goals with you, before deciding which whitening treatment will work best to achieve them.
Your dentist will cover the soft tissue in your mouth before applying the whitening gel to the surface f your teeth. some brands require laser activation in order to accelerate the whitening process. Your dentist may recommend this if your teeth have uneven staining and need more attention.
The hydrogen peroxide or hydrogen carbamide gel will be left on for about 15 minutes before being rinsed off. Your dentist will check the shade, and may re-apply the gel if you feel a second treatment is necessary.
Depending on your needs, your dentist may also give you a take-home treatment to apply. This is common if a weaker concentration of hydrogen peroxide has been used.
What Teeth Whitening Options Are Available?
At Southern Smiles, we are pleased to offer our patients Pola and Opalescence teeth whitening options.
Are There Any Side Effects?
 Some people do experience slight tooth sensitivity, but this can be minimised when the procedure is managed by your dentist.
Southern Smiles dentists offer whitening solutions that are safe. The Opalescence system for example has been formulated with potassium nitrate and fluoride to protect your tooth enamel during the whitening process.
Hydrogen peroxide gels are typically available up to a maximum of 15% strength to ensure their safety during use.
The texture of the gel is really sticky, which means it is unlikely to move onto your soft tissue and cause discomfort. It generally stays where it is applied.
To find out more about hydrogen peroxide teeth whitening, or how you can improve the appearance of your smile, contact our practice today: (02) 8503 9902.
