It is not without reason that we call our teeth pearly whites. A bright smile is always deemed more attractive over teeth that are stained yellow or brown. There are a variety of products and procedures available on the market to improve the looks of your smile. But before you decide, you need to get some facts straight.

1. Whitening is safe

If carried out by a trained dental professional, tooth whitening is perfectly safe. Based on our knowledge of your oral health we will discuss with you the options available, decide if tooth whitening is appropriate for you and develop an overall treatment plan that gives the desired result.

2. Only trained dental professionals can whiten teeth

It is illegal for anyone other than dentists or their team to carry out tooth whitening. Anyone else offering tooth whitening (e.g. beauticians, hairdressers and salon staff) won’t have the right training and knowledge. It could permanently damage your teeth and gums and they can’t help you if something goes wrong.

3. The preferred option

Tooth whitening does not remove the surface of your teeth or change their shape. It’s often the better option than alternatives, such as veneers or crowns, because it doesn’t involve permanently altering the tooth structure.

4. Selecting the right product for you

We are trained to know what whitening products will be safe for your teeth and gums. Products provided by non-dentist often do not have enough safety data and evidence to support their use; this can result in burned gums and/or blistered lips or even more serious consequences. Using products that are not appropriate for you will produce poor results.

5. How it works

A carefully controlled concentration of tooth whitening gel is applied to your teeth using specially-made trays that fit in your mouth. We will be able to discuss with you the level of whitening you want and give you an idea of how long the treatment should be carried out to achieve the shade you’re after.

6. What to expect during treatment

You may experience some sensitivity for a short time during your treatment but this is normal and will soon fade away after completion.

7. Over the counter, kits may not be safe

The products you can buy online or from high street shops often fail to declare the precise chemicals used so it’s very difficult to assess their safety. Because of this, they should not be considered safe. These products won’t produce the same good results you can expect by visiting us.

We offer free tooth whitening consultations simply click here or call 0116 2891317 to arrange your FREE no obligation appointment

If teeth staining is the bane of your life, then you might want to take a read of these tip top tips from the dental professionals at Smile Essential Dental Practice in Leicester.

Staining is a common complaint we hear at or dental clinic and one that we (with a little help of our dental gadgets) can solve easily. But there are lots of things (well at least 7!) that you can do to help prevent teeth from staining.

We’ll start with the obvious…

1) Lifestyle

Habits such as smoking and drinking copious amounts of red wine might seem rock and roll but they will ultimately lead to brown stained teeth. So stop smoking and limit the red wine to the occasional treat with a meal.

Some of our other leisurely past times aren’t off the hook either- tea and coffee also cause staining so limit yourself to a couple a day and rinse with water after if your able to.

Not so obvious is green tea, healthy as it may be! Green tea can cause some serious staining so follow the advice above or switch to white tea- all the goodness of green tea but with a smaller amount of staining.

2) Mouthwash

This one might surprise you, it certainly does a lot of our Leicester dental patients. Chlorhexidine Gluconate can be an ingredient in mouthwashes- especially the ones used for gum problems. A side effect of this chemical is teeth staining.

It does work well to help treat gum disease but generally this needs to be done in conjunction with dental hygiene appointments and tailored advice from your dentist or dental hygienist.

If you’re using a mouthwash that does contain Chlorhexidine Gluconate then you can limit the side effects of staining by avoiding eating or drinking for at least an hour after its use.

Mouthwashes such as Listerine, Plaques and Dental PH tend to be better for everyday use and can aid a good mouth cleaning routine.

3) Crooked or crowded teeth

When the teeth overlap one another it can be difficult to clean effectively. Having straighter teeth means that your mouth will be easier to clean and staining won’t build up in those hard reach areas.

Treatments to make teeth straighter are so much easier nowadays. The braces are cosmetically more attractive, treatment can be done relatively quickly and treatment is more affordable than it used to be.

4) Sonic technology

Some electric toothbrushes use sonic technology- this is great for removing staining that builds up on a daily basis. Sonic technology provides a much deeper clean meaning you get that dental feeling clean every time.

The sonic technology used in these electric toothbrushes is similar to that which we use in the dental practice to remove staining and plaque build up.

5) Medication

If some medications used during pregnancy or childhood can affect the teeth and when adult teeth start to develop during growth it can cause quite noticeable staining. The well known being tetracycline staining- this is more complicated to treat but cosmetic dentistry can help.

When treating tetracycline staining it’s important to seek the advice of a dental professional.

6) Porous surfaces

Ever noticed that staining seems to build up more around the gum line or in areas where there is a hard plaque build up? Plaque has a more porous surface meaning that it’s much easier for staining to attach itself in those areas.

Having your teeth cleaned regularly will help to get rid of any plaque build up and staining. Your dental health professional will also be able to give you some dental advice to help improve the situation.

7) Whitening toothpastes

The outside of the tooth structure is made up of enamel- it’s enamel that’s smooth and white. Under the enamel surface is the dentine- dentine is more yellow and porous.

This becomes a bit of a problem with some whitening toothpastes, as they can be very abrasive so they may remove some surface staining but it can also remove some of the enamel surface revealing the more yellow dentine and making teeth appear generally darker.

If you would like the overall appearance of your teeth to be whiter the best way to achieve a whiter smile is professional tooth whitening from a registered dental professional.

Seek the advice of a dental professional…