Tooth Whitening – What Works and What Doesn’t?

Tooth whitening is a cosmetic treatment which is used to improve the smile aesthetically. A brighter and whiter smile is appealing to the public as it is known that the eyes and the smile are the first thing a person looks at. There are many different types of methods for tooth whitening, some better than others, some even illegal. <>

Whats the deal about whitening toothpaste?

Whitening tooth paste for big named brands is used to promote business and selling, as no toothpaste will whiten your teeth like in house dental tooth whitening or laser whitening. So you could say it’s a slight gimmick to boost sales. Whitening tooth paste is known to brighten teeth by removing stains, but not actually improving the colour of the teeth. Their abrasive texture dislodges some stains making them appear cleaner and brighter.

The new craze – charcoal toothpaste.  

Charcoal toothpaste has been floating around social media quite a lot recently and is now sold across many supermarkets and high street stores. I can assure you that charcoal toothpaste will only give similar affects as whitening toothpaste, stain removal and brightening the smile. Except that they have a very low concentration of fluoride, if any. This can actually be more clinically harmful as fluoride strengthens the teeth which is why it is included in toothpastes and mouthwashes, I’m sure you can imagine why a toothpaste without it would not be beneficial. 

Home Remedies.

Home remedies like bicarbonate soda and banana peels won’t make a massive difference in terms of wanting to gain that Hollywood smile.  These are made up methods of whitening teeth which not only can be harmful but essentially are a waste of time. Some stain removal can be seen by using bicarbonate soda but using imagine using an abrasive powder against you teeth 2-3 times a day, this can create notches, recession and even tooth surface loss exposing the dentine from underneath the enamel, which is actually more yellow in colour so it defeats the point of using a tooth whitener.

What about / UV whitening and ordering from online. 

Please BE CAREFUL when ordering whitening gels and systems from online as it is not legal to prescribe gels at a high percentage online, the only people who are legally allowed to sell higher percentages is dental practitioners with a GDC registration number. The risks of UV whitening and online whitening gels are very high which can lead to severe sensitivity, soft tissue burns or even nerve damage to the tooth. I would recommend seeing a specialist for tooth whitening to be on the safe side and please please do your research.

The big debate. Beautician and in-salon whitening.  

Lots of beauticians offer tooth whitening. However, this in some cases is illegal as they have not had the official training like a dental professional has had and they are not registered under the GDC to be  legally allowed to prescribe dental tooth whitening. In some circumstances beauticians may feel like that have had in depth training through courses they have been on but they have not had 5 years studying the mouth like a dental professional. Also, if a something happens during the treatment the insurance will not cover for any damage done during the whitening procedure, which is not ideal as you or the beautician are not covered for any problems which may occur. In some cases beauticians do provide tooth whitening but this is a weaker solution and therefore you wouldn’t get the results that you aspire for.

Dental Whitening and why we advise it.  

Dental professionals have had the correct training to know the mouth inside and out, which is why they are the best people to approach regarding whitening. At Eccleshill dental we offer two different systems, Enlighten and Boutique. Enlighten is actually the Gold standard system and it is promised that you will see a great improving across the shade guide. 

With dental whitening it is the most effective way to improve your smile without causing any tooth damage. In most cases tooth whitening actually masks initial problems that patients present with. So in this way it is the most  cost effective as you only have to ever buy it once and only need to top it up every couple of years and this is if you feel they have slightly faded but will never return to original shade.

So why not come and try out our Whitening Wednesdays for 20% off when two or more people book in!