Today more and more people are choosing to whiten their teeth and not to put up with discoloured/stained teeth.

Teeth whitening is the process of brightening stained, discoloured, or dull teeth. If carried out by a professional dentist this is a safe and very effective procedure.

Most people can avail of this treatment, however it is important that you are assessed by a dental surgeon in advance of taking this treatment to ensure that it is suitable for you and that you will benefit from the process.

At Royal Dental Clinic we offer two types of home kit options Colgate MaxWhite One Professional and Philips Zoom DayWhite.

Both of these products are compliant with the new European Commission directive which prohibits the commercialization of any whitening products in the European Union (EU) containing more than six percent hydrogen peroxide.

What causes tooth decolouration?

There are many reasons for tooth discoloration. The most common is the consumption of staining substances such as tea, coffee, red and white wine, cola and smoking.

However dental injury can also cause tooth discolouration as can your age.

Addtionally certain antibiotics or excessive fluoride can cause tooth discolouration

What does the tooth whitening process involve?

It is very simple!

If you are suitable for this treatment we will first take impressions of your upper and lower teeth so that you have whitening trays that are custom fitted to your teeth.

We will then give you your own pack which includes the tooth whitening product.

We go through the kit with you and explain how to use it at home and get the most out of the treatment.

We recommend that if you have tartar build-up that you get a dental clean in advance of the treatment and are happy to do this at the same time as we do your impressions and give you the kit so it all can be done in one appointment!

Internal Tooth Whitening

Teeth that have been darkened due to damage or infection are not likely to respond well to external bleaching options.

Internal tooth whitening is a treatment option for these teeth.

Internal bleaching is a method of whitening a tooth from inside out.

What does the treatment involve?

First a root canal treatment is performed if the tooth has not already been root treated.

Then a safe sodium perborate paste is placed deep inside the tooth. This material reacts with the stains and dissolves their particles, making the tooth appear whiter.

This is then sealed off with a temporary filling.

The dental surgeon will usually apply this method over a number of visits to ensure the best possible result is achieved for you.

Once the desired colour change has been achieved a permanent restoration is applied to the back of the tooth over the root canal treatment. This permanent filling will usually be a bright opaque shade to maintain the ‘whiteness’ of the tooth for as long as possible.

How long will the treatment last?

While the results from an internal bleaching treatment can be excellent, they are not permanent. It is possible to discolour the tooth again by eating and drinking foods that contain stain such as tea, coffee, red wine.

The procedure however can be repeated safely to re-restore the colour when needed.