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Maybe you’ve got a big event coming up, or perhaps you’ve always wanted a whiter smile. Whatever the reason, if you’ve ever dreamed of having a brighter smile, you may be wondering – does teeth whitening work? And if so, how do you know if it’s the right choice for you? To help you make the right decision for your teeth, we’re breaking down some of the most commonly asked questions about this procedure.

How does teeth whitening work?

Simply put, teeth whitening really does work! Just like skin, your teeth have pores. Using bleaching agents — usually, a type of peroxide — teeth whitening procedures penetrate these pores to remove staining. These stains can be caused by red wine, smoking, coffee and tea, and a number of other factors meaning most of us will experience teeth staining over time.

Because higher concentrations of peroxide need to be used under strict supervision, teeth whitening at the dentist will often provide a more dramatic result after just one or two sessions. It’s important to remember that all teeth whitening achieves its results by stripping stains out of the upper level of your tooth, known as the dentin. This will reveal the true colour of your teeth enamel below, but almost none of us have perfectly white teeth. Commonly, tooth enamel is a pale yellow, greyish or off-white colour. Teeth bleaching can’t affect the underlying colour of your tooth enamel.

Does teeth whitening work for everyone?

People who are good candidates for teeth whitening often have the following things in common:

• Good oral hygiene — Before any kind of cosmetic dental procedure, it’s important to ensure your teeth are clean and healthy.
• Low to medium teeth sensitivity — Teeth whitening opens up dental pores and increases sensitivity for all patients. Generally, this sensitivity fades a few hours after the treatment. People with thick tooth enamel and lower sensitivity tend to be better candidates, as those with very sensitive teeth can find the sensation unpleasant.

• Minimal visible dental work such as fillings and dentures — Bleaching agents won’t work on fillings, crowns and dentures, so lightening your natural teeth will lead to a mismatched shade. Teeth whitening works best with smiles that don’t have visible dental work of this nature.
• Superficial stains — Very deep staining or naturally dark tooth enamel will not be affected by teeth whitening. Its bright results work best on teeth with staining at a superficial level.

Is teeth whitening safe?

If you’ve looked into it before you’ve probably wondered, ‘Is teeth whitening bad?’ In  clinical conditions and with proper supervision from a dental professional, there’s no reason why teeth whitening shouldn’t be completely safe. However, some at-home treatments do carry a higher risk of increased tooth sensitivity.

At-home teeth whitening kits require you to carefully time your application and do not have as strong a concentration of active ingredients as clinical treatments. If you want more noticeable results and to ensure your teeth whitening is safe, opting for a professional treatment is a great idea.

It’s important to note that having yellow or duller looking teeth doesn’t mean that your teeth aren’t healthy — faintly yellow teeth can actually be an indication of good oral health! Teeth whitening is simply a non-invasive and safe way to improve the look of your teeth. If giving yourself a brighter, whiter smile would improve your confidence, teeth whitening can give you a bigger, bolder grin.

iSmileStudio — easy teeth whitening in Melbourne 

If you’re looking for a professional cosmetic dentist to give you more confidence in your smile, look no further than the specialists in teeth whitening at Balwyn’s iSmile Studio. Get in touch with our friendly team and find out how you can get your smile looking whiter and brighter today.