Teeth Whitening
Teeth whitening – this is a hugely popular treatment in itself. Just as the name implies, it is a process to brighten and boost the colour of natural teeth. It is worth noting that it only works on your own natural teeth, not on any dental work that you may have.
The chemistry behind this is that by using a specific concentration of peroxide, you create a chemical reaction that neutralises the ‘internal’ stain within the tooth. Once neutralised it is removed from the tooth, leaving the tooth structure itself untouched. This makes it very safe as there is no reduction or loss of your natural tooth.
Contouring
Tooth reshaping – this has several names including teeth contouring or enameloplasty. It refers to a reductive method of improving the appearance of teeth by contouring them. There is a risk of over contouring, so it is important to see a dentist experienced with contouring. Unlike with our hair, our teeth do not grow back if we go too far!
Enameloplasty is a dental term to describe the same procedure. ‘Enamel’ refers to the hard outer shell of teeth, which is what gives teeth their whiteness and smooth texture. ‘Plasty’ originates from Latin, meaning to modify or reform. And there we have enameloplasty!
Stain Blasting
Stain blasting, as the name implies, is a high-pressure cleaning system to remove surface stains. It aims to remove surface stains only, whereas whitening removes ‘internal’ stains. Coffee and smoking are the main culprits of surface stains. Usually, the sand particles abrade the stain, leaving the enamel ready for whitening.
The Process
A smile makeover in London at our smile clinic can be performed in one pain-free, 60-minute appointment.
The first stage is to send in your photograph to be analysed for suitability. Following this, we prepare a simulation to show you what results you can expect. If it looks good to you, we will then arrange your treatment appointment.
On the appointment day, we start by clarifying the details of your mini smile makeover and if you have anything to add since your virtual consultation. The dentist will then conduct a dental health examination, ensuring good gum and tooth condition as well as your annual mouth cancer screen.
We usually start off with a full mouth professional clean and stain blast which sets you up well for contouring. Tooth reshaping is performed with a series of aluminum oxide impregnated discs. They rotate at high speed and is similar to an extremely small sanding machine. The discs are designed to remove a specific increment of tooth structure before wearing out. This helps to remove the risk of going too far when contouring.
Our dentist will do a little first and then show you the initial results. It is vital that you are in control; therefore, we will likely go back and forth over the appointment to optimise the results. You will have the opportunity to ask questions to the dentist and assistant as to their opinions on how far to go and they will offer their advice. Occasionally, some decisions relating to tooth size/shape/character are very personal, and they may defer to you to make the final decision.
Following this, we take moulds of your teeth to make bespoke whitening trays. It is important to take care during this stage, as the success of whitening is determined by two factors: the fitting of the trays and strict adherence to the instructions. We make all of our trays in the clinic using a quality-controlled system developed with over 10 years of experience.
The final stage is for us to issue the instructions for the whitening system. A home whitening system is advisable if you want longer lasting and more stable results without needing to frequently visit teeth whitening dentists.