Teeth Whitening – A Brighter Smile For Spring

How Enlighten teeth whitening allows you to whiten your teeth at home!

Looking out of the window today, it may not be the most appropriate time to discuss the coming of Spring, what with all of the snow across the UK.

Whilst it may not seem like it at the moment, we can hopefully look forward to some warmer and brighter weather in the coming weeks and months ahead.

This is often a time when we think about spring cleaning the house, but it can also be a useful time to take stock of our own appearance too.

Spring is often thought of as a new start and while many people will be thinking of ways to get fitter etc, a lot of people also spend a little time thinking about other ways that they can feel better about themselves.

This often involves a makeover, possibly including new clothes, a new hairstyle and increasingly, doing something to improve the appearance of their teeth. In this particular area, the team at Acton Vale Dental Centre can certainly help you to achieve this!

Longer term improvements

Before we look at our most popular cosmetic dental procedure, it is worth noting that some of you may wish to look at longer term improvements to your smile too. One problem that a lot of people have is when their teeth are crooked or uneven. Although some minor corrections can be made in just a few weeks, more significant issues take longer to correct, with treatment taking up to a year and possibly more in some cases.

If you are in this situation, you might want to take advantage of our next Invisalign open day for teens and adults on April 1st. You can read more about it here – Acton Vale Special Offers.

Fast improvements in time for Spring

For those of you who are happy with the evenness of your teeth, one of the most popular cosmetic treatments that we have available at our Acton dental practice is the Enlighten home teeth whitening treatment.

Many of you will be familiar with the results that a teeth whitening procedure can bring. Many celebrities and TV personalities now have this as a matter of course, especially those who do close ups to the camera on a regular basis. Once upon a time, this treatment was largely only affordable to the wealthier section of society but this is no longer the case and a tooth whitening treatment is much more affordable, enabling more people to have a smile that they are happy with.

Let us take a look at what happens when you want to have your teeth whitened.

Consultation

Initially, you will need to have a consultation with our cosmetic dentist and they will make sure that you are suitable for this treatment. Most people are but there are some limitations such as if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Once it has been determined that you are fine to proceed, you will be given a check up to make sure that your teeth are in good condition. There is little point in having whiter teeth if you also have tooth decay or gum disease for example. Any problems such as these will be treated before the treatment can start.

Impressions

The next step is to take impressions of your teeth which are used to produce ‘trays’ in which the whitening gel will sit. All materials are very high quality and sourced from a specialist dental laboratory. Having custom trays made will ensure that they are comfortable and also that the risk of any of the bleaching gel coming into contact with the gums is minimised.

Once the trays are returned to us, you will be recalled and shown how to fit them correctly and you will also be given the appropriate whitening gel. This will be made according to your requirements. Some people prefer to attain the maximum whiteness that they can, whilst others prefer a more subtle approach that is noticeable but not too glaringly obvious to those around them. The choice is yours and we can discuss this and also your general aims and reasons for having your teeth whitened. For some people. It is a one off ‘treat’, perhaps for a wedding or a holiday, whilst others are looking for a longer term whiteness which will involve repeated treatments. This is perfectly safe to do and we will discuss this with you at the time.

Using the trays

One of the things that appeals to users of the Enlighten teeth whitening system, is that you can do this in the comfort of your own home while you watch your favourite box set or film or even catch up on the books that you have bought but not yet read. You will be given full advice on how long you should wear them for, but this is usually for one to two hours a day. This will depend on the outcome that you are hoping for.

After approximately one week, you will start to notice a distinct improvement in the whiteness of your teeth, with the full impact being seen after around a fortnight.

For those patients looking to have repeat treatments, you should be able to use the same trays each time, providing that there are no changes to your teeth, thereby saving you money on your subsequent treatments.

Alternatives

Whilst the teeth whitening procedure is highly popular, it may not be suitable for those whose teeth are heavily stained or discoloured, such as through heavy smoking. There is nothing to stop you from trying it, but you may not get the results that you hoped for. This treatment works best on mild to moderate discolouration and people with heavier staining are likely to get better results through having porcelain veneers fitted. We will discuss this with you, if applicable, during your consultation with us.

If you would like to find out how we can help you have a more attractive and whiter smile for the spring and summer months, please call the Acton Vale Dental Centre today to arrange a consultation with a cosmetic dentist on 020 8749 3267.