White teeth are a dream for many of our dental clinic Surrey BC patients. Most people want white, pearly smiles that are a pleasure for others to see. While there’s much we can do to protect the healthy appearance of our teeth, it’s a fact that eating, drinking, smoking, medications and other activities can cause the teeth to discolour over time. Patients can purchase basic teeth whitening products commercially, but the majority of them are mild and won’t result in noticeably white teeth.
Why Teeth Need Professional Whitening
Most patients we see at the offices of our dentist in Surrey BC have teeth that are naturally off-white in colour. Add eating, drinking and the other factors mentioned above and the whitest teeth are likely to fade or stain as time passes. As foodstuffs like beetroot, coffee and red wine tend to stain clothes and furnishings, they stain teeth too even if you are cleaning them meticulously twice a day. Also, anyone who has recently had Invisalign North Delta treatment will know that a good whitening after the treatment is essential to remove any residual marks left by wearing retainers. Tooth discoloration is also a typical sign of aging, but that doesn’t mean you have to live with it.
Teeth Whitening Processes
The first step to restoring the whiteness of your smile is to schedule an appointment with our dental clinic in Surrey BC. We will assess your teeth and determine the best treatment or combination of treatments for your needs. We can perform one of the various types of teeth whitening treatments listed below, depending on the recommendations of the dentist in Surrey BC that you consult with.
- 1. Light-activated bleaching, where bleach is applied to your teeth in our office, and a special light is used to activate and process the chemicals on your teeth.
- 2. A specially prepared bleach solution that is used with a custom mouthguard for some time each day.
- 3. Specially prepared toothpaste that includes a carefully measured and prepared bleaching agent.
Chairside Whitening
The bleaching process removes both surface and more deeply-seated stains and can change your tooth colour up to six shades whiter. The products used contain active ingredients including hydrogen peroxide, which are used in chairside bleaching to deliver dramatically whiter teeth in a short session. After several months to a year have passed, however, the teeth become discoloured again from normal eating and drinking habits, and you’ll need to undergo another tooth whitening treatment.
In-Home Bleaching
This process requires a custom mouthpiece created by our dentist in Surrey BC, which you typically wear for several hours each day or night for a period of two weeks. After that, each time you notice new stains developing, you wear the mouthpiece again for a night or two.
Non-Bleaching Procedure
This method of tooth whitening uses a physical or chemical process to remove surface stains. While most toothpastes use mild abrasion to clean teeth between visits, whitening pasts have added polishing compounds to boost stain removal. A professional cleaning from our dental clinic Surrey BC also makes use of abrasion and polishing to remove external staining from patients’ teeth.
Quality, Safe and Effective Whitening
We aim at all times to use the very best quality products available and to deliver tooth whitening that is both safe and effective. Regardless which type of treatment you opt for, it’s important to ensure it is done correctly under the supervision of a professional dentist.
Whether you need professional teeth cleaning, whitening, or Invisalign, our North Delta dentists are at your service and ready to help. For more information on any of these processes, please schedule an appointment with our professional dental team.