We all dream of having that ‘Hollywood Smile,’ but for those trying to achieve this using DIY, or ‘black market’ whitening treatments – it is dangerous, costly and it quite simply, doesn’t work!
Teeth whitening options offered by dental practices are the only treatments that are guaranteed to work, provide effective long-term results, are legal, and most importantly, safe! Your dental professional is able to assess your overall oral health, the health of your teeth and your dental history before prescribing whitening treatments, ensuring safety, and maintaining the health of your mouth.
A Bright white smile can really boost your self esteem and make you feel more confident. Research has shown that after whitening their teeth, people are more likely to be successful in job interviews, to get the pay rise they are seeking, or even for a date to go well. This is likely due to both how the person perceives themselves after treatment, feeling more attractive and confident, and also how they are perceived by the person they are interacting with. There is no denying that when we engage in conversations with others we tend to focus on the face, and having healthy looking white teeth is undeniably going to create a different focal point than having heavily stained teeth.
If you are unhappy with the colour of your teeth or you have staining, professional teeth whitening treatments are a safe and recommended option for you to consider.
Tooth discolouration can be a result of either surface staining, or internal staining. Surface staining can have many different causes, such as tobacco, strong tea, coffee, and red wine. Deposits of tartar can also form around the necks of the teeth which can hold onto stains that can be extremely difficult to remove.
Internal staining of the tooth can happen, again, for numerous reasons. Often teeth which have had their nerve removed will be darker than their live counterparts. Teeth that have taken a heavy knock can also become discoloured due to the blood vessels leaking at the end of the root.
Unfortunately, some causes of yellowing of the teeth are out of our control. As we age, tooth enamel can become thinner, often making the teeth appear more yellow.
Almost everyone will experience some form of tooth discolouration at some stage in their life, thankfully, teeth whitening is a treatment that is suitable for most people.
The best candidate for a professional whitening treatment would be someone with healthy teeth and gums with no active decay present.
Those with restorations such as crowns, veneers or composite bonding must remember that whitening treatments will only have an effect on your natural teeth. So, if you are extremely unhappy with the overall shade of your teeth you must bear in mind that your restorations may need to be replaced if they no longer match after your whitening treatment. Where possible, we would always recommend any whitening is carried out prior to other treatments.
How well a whitening treatment works will also depend on the shade of your teeth to begin with. Those with more yellow or brown tones in the teeth tend to respond better than those whose teeth have a more greyish tone.
The following patients would be unsuitable for whitening treatments:
At Belmore Dental we offer two different professional teeth whitening systems. In our experience, best results are normally seen when we combine the two treatments.
Phillips Zoom White-Speed Chairside whitening is a scientifically advanced tooth whitening procedure, applied while you are seated comfortably in the dental chair, and is ideal for anyone looking for immediate results. Zoom works using a technique that combines advanced light technology and chemical activation.
After an initial check-up, your dental professional will begin the whitening treatment. The procedure begins with a short preparation period, followed by three 15-minute bleaching sessions, with an optional fourth session administered at the discretion of your dental professional.
Zoom whitening will provide an immediate result at the end of your 2-hour appointment. However, for most people, this is really viewed as a ‘head start’ in the whitening process. Depending on your starting shade and how white you desire your teeth to be, you may be satisfied with the results of the zoom on its own, or you may prefer to continue trying to achieve an even whiter shade, for this reason, we include a home whitening kit along with your zoom treatment. You will be provided with custom bleaching trays and zoom whitening gels to either continue your treatment from home, or top up and maintain your results as and when required. Once you have had your teeth whitened at our practice you will be able to repurchase single tubes of whitening gel as and when required.
If you are someone who is worried about sensitivity associated with teeth whitening, we would recommend the zoom treatment. This is because the treatment is carried out in the practice by one of our dental professionals who is able to control the treatment and any sensitivity experienced. Sensitivity associated with teeth whitening usually only lasts around 24-48 hours after the treatment, because of this zoom is recommended for those with sensitive teeth, with home whitening often causing more prolonged sensitivity due to the lengthy nature of the treatment.
Home whitening treatments only require a very short visit to the practice, during which, your dental professional will take impressions of your teeth in order to create custom fit bleaching trays, you will also be provided with bleaching gels and instructed on how to carry out your treatment safely from the comfort of your own home.
Home whitening will, eventually, produce the same results as zoom whitening, the main difference between these two treatments is time. Home whitening usually takes quite a bit longer to produce the results that patients are looking for, we could assume that usually it will take at least 1-2 weeks to achieve satisfactory results, it could take more than this however. Every patient is unique, with a different starting shade and a different white-ness goal, as such, this makes it impossible to give a totally accurate timescale for home whitening.
When a tooth becomes discoloured following the death of a nerve within the root, we can often carry out an internal bleaching treatment. A specialised bleaching agent is placed within the tooth and sealed inside for a period. This is removed when satisfactory whitening has occurred and a tooth-coloured filling is placed inside the tooth.
There are a number of things to consider if you are thinking about teeth whitening treatments.
Whitening results will generally last as long as you continue to look after them. This means taking great care with your oral hygiene, brushing at least twice daily, using an interdental cleaning method such as floss or interdental brushes and attending for regular appointments with the dental hygienist. If you are someone who consumes a lot of highly pigmented food and drink, such as coffee, red wine, tomato-based foods etc, or if you smoke, you might find your teeth start to darken in colour again over time. As both of our whitening options include custom bleaching trays, you can continue to top up and maintain your whitening from home as and when you feel it is required.
To view and download the Zoom consent form, please click here
Zoom Teeth Whitening L Co Roscommon
"I had a root canal on 2 front teeth years ago which over time resulted in internal darkness forming. All my teeth were in need of whitening also. Belmore Dental was recommended to me by my work colleague whose family are patients. Having the whitening treatment has made a huge difference to me as I would always be so self-conscious of my smile and would automatically put my hand to cover my mouth when I smiled. Now I don’t have to do that. It has rejuvenated me. I had a Great experience at Belmore Dental. I felt very welcome and comfortable. They have extremely efficient and friendly staff and they were very thorough in the examination and provided a full list of treatments and costs. I have already recommended Belmore to a number of friends and work colleagues."
