One Hour Teeth Whitening

This speedy, safe cosmetic dental procedure can give you a smile to be really proud of!

At the moment, everything seems bright and shiny. The sunny weather (while it lasts) makes things look less drab and the blue sky puts most of us in a good mood.

Unfortunately though, even the sunny weather can’t make our teeth look bright if they are stained or have become dull over time. There are a number of possible reasons that this can happen, which we will look at in a minute.

Whatever the reason though, our dull or discoloured teeth can spoil what would otherwise be a nice looking smile. In some cases, it may even lead to us losing some of our confidence, especially in the presence of others.

The rise in the number of teeth whitening toothpastes now available indicates that more and more people are trying to do something about this common aesthetic problem. At best though, these toothpastes will have a very limited effect and so if you would like to make real improvements to the whiteness of your teeth, you will need to consider a teeth whitening procedure, such as that provided at our Ipswich dental practice.

Why teeth stain

Before we look at the teeth whitening treatment provided at the Foxhall Dental Practice, it is worth mentioning that there are essentially two types of tooth discolouration. The first comes from surface staining of the teeth. This is caused by factors such as smoking, red wine consumption along with other tooth staining products (e.g. tea and coffee). This type of staining is more preventable by avoiding these foods and drinks.

The other type of staining is unavoidable as it occurs because we grow older. In this case, it is not so much the surface of the tooth that discolours but the softer inner part below the enamel. This darkens in colour and then shows through the translucent enamel surrounding it, leaving teeth looking dull and often a little ‘yellow’ looking. No amount of brushing your teeth will make a difference in this case and may well even harm the enamel if you brush too vigorously.

There are typically four options that people consider when they decide to improve the whiteness of their teeth….

1 – Teeth whitening toothpaste – These are likely to produce disappointing results for the simple reason that the active whitening ingredient in these toothpastes is at such a low level (for safety reasons) that you aren’t likely to see much difference at all. They may be of moderate use for maintaining whiteness following a professional whitening treatment though.

2 – DIY teeth whitening – There are lots of these on YouTube but the majority won’t work and some can be very harmful to your teeth. Even the innocent sounding ‘lemon juice teeth whitening’ can badly damage the enamel on your teeth, leading to tooth decay and, ironically, worse staining caused by the rough enamel surface often produced.

3 – Dental Veneers – This is a legitimate option and can be very effective, especially where teeth are badly stained. It is an invasive treatment however and our dentist will be able to advise you whether this is necessary or whether a non invasive teeth whitening procedure would be more beneficial at this stage.

4 – Teeth whitening procedure – Fast, affordable and effective as we will now show.

The teeth whitening procedure

If you are wondering how we carry out this treatment at your Ipswich dentist, it is actually quite straightforward. Once we determine that your teeth are healthy and ready to undergo this treatment and a decision has been made on the level of whiteness required, you will be able to relax in the comfortable dental chair while we protect your gums and lips to prevent any of the whitening gel coming into contact with them. The gel will then be applied to your teeth and a special light used to activate and speed up the treatment. You will then be able to relax whilst listening to music on your headphones etc while the gel does its work.

After typically just one hour we will remove any gel from the teeth and generally clean up the area and you will see an instant improvement in the whiteness of your teeth by up to as much as eight shades. You can then leave our practice with much whiter teeth than you walked in with!

It is very unlikely that you will have any side effects at all but a few patients do report some additional sensitivity to the teeth for a short while. This typically returns to normal very soon afterwards.

This is a popular treatment that is also within most people’s budgets and we tend to see an increasing number of people booking appointments during the summer months when weddings and holidays are most popular. If you would like to discuss having your teeth whitened with us, why not call us now to book your appointment? You can call the Foxhall Dental Practice on 01473 258396. We look forward to helping you have a brighter, whiter smile and hopefully a confidence boost too!