Are Your Teeth Looking Dull?

If your teeth have lost their former brightness, the Foxhall Dental Practice in Ipswich can help to renew your smile.

white smiles on older peopleHopefully, most of our older patients will now have had their Covid vaccinations and are beginning to look forward to the future with a little more hope than many of us have probably been feeling over this last year or so. For those who have not yet had their vaccinations, we do encourage you to do so when your turn comes along.

Each of us will have had different circumstances during the lockdowns, but given that we have had a lot more time to ourselves, we may well have reflected on some aspects of our lives. Some of us may have reflected on our own advancing years and the fact that we are no longer as young as we once were. A few moments in front of the mirror may well confirm that as we notice a few lines and wrinkles appearing on our face and as we notice that our smile is not as bright as it once was.

We will write a blog in the coming weeks about how we can help you ease some of those ageing lines and wrinkles, but in today’s blog, we would like to focus on how we can help you have a whiter and more attractive smile.

The first step

Some of you will probably have bought and used a tooth whitening toothpaste and discovered that it made little difference. This is not surprising as although all whitening products contain a bleaching agent, it is only logical that anything sold over the counter is likely to be restricted in the amount of this ingredient that is allowed because of safety concerns. In fact, whitening toothpastes contain very small quantities of this and may possibly be helpful in maintaining whiteness following a teeth whitening procedure, but is unlikely to significantly improve the whiteness of your teeth if they are already discoloured.

We would recommend that, in the first instance, you arrange an appointment at our handy Ipswich dental clinic to see the hygienist. This is always a good start to any oral health improvement but can also improve the appearance of your teeth. These improvements are due to the scale and polish procedure that they will carry out which removes tartar from the teeth and gum line. This is a build up of bacteria and minerals which leaves a rough surface. Not only can this attract further bacteria but also helps staining products attach themselves to the tooth surface. Once this has been removed and your teeth have been given a high speed brushing, you will often notice an improvement in the whiteness of your teeth.

The second step

Naturally, a scale and polish can only remove some surface staining and is quite effective in doing so. Not all tooth discolouration occurs on the surface though and may be caused by a darkening of the interior of your teeth. This occurs in the dentin part of your teeth, a porous and yellow material that gradually darkens over time. Unfortunately, there is nothing that we can do to prevent this and it is simply a natural part of ageing. Whilst we can’t prevent this from happening, our Ipswich dental team can help to reverse the effect using our popular teeth whitening procedure. Whilst this also acts on any remaining surface staining, it is particularly effective at lightening the inner part of the teeth, an area that no amount of brushing will touch. It is both a safe and effective treatment.

At the Foxhall Dental Practice, we offer our patients a rapid teeth whitening treatment that can be completed in around an hour. This means that you can enter our practice with dull and discoloured teeth and leave with a smile that you probably thought was no longer possible.

Before we start the treatment, your dentist will ensure that your gums and lips are protected to minimise the risk of them coming into contact with the bleaching gel. The gel will then be applied to your teeth and a special light is then used to activate it. Within an hour, your teeth will have transformed from a dull colour to a whiteness that is several shades whiter than before.

It is worth mentioning that the whitening gel that is used will contain similar bleaching agents to those found in toothpastes but at a much higher concentration. Because the treatment is carried out by a trained and experienced professional, this is perfectly safe and no significant side effects should be noticed. A few patients may experience a little more sensitivity in their teeth for a little while afterwards, but if this does happen it will typically subside over a few days. This is usually nothing to be concerned about and we will explain more during your visit with us.

If you are considering some improvements to your smile as we hopefully approach the ‘post Covid’ period, why not contact us to see how we can help you to do just that? You can call our Ipswich practice on 01473 258396.