Tooth whitening or bleaching is a non-invasive, conservative cosmetic treatment that can lighten up the yellowish stain on the surface of the teeth. Teeth can pick up stain from various sources such as food, juice, soda, coffee, tea or nicotine from cigarette smoking. It’s called extrinsic stain. The way whitening works is that we use a strong carbamide peroxide to oxidize the stain and turn it into a clear substance, thus revealing the underlying shade of the tooth. So, if the discoloration is due to developmental cause such as tetracycline, this treatment will not work.

The system we use is a 15% Opalescence tooth whitening gel from Ultradent. It is a take-home kit that will save you a lot of time. You apply the gel onto a clear custom tray and wear it like a retainer while you sleep. The tray contains the bleaching gel and enables it to contact the tooth surface directly for a long period of time to facilitate the chemical reaction. You will see result within three days. Once the whitening reaches its peak, the teeth will not get whiter anymore. So we don’t recommend you to use it more than two weeks. Prolong usage will cause tooth sensitivity and thinning of the enamel.

Once treatment is completed, the result will last up to two years. However, teeth will pick up stain as soon as they are exposed to outside elements. So we recommend you to save the tray and the rest of the bleaching gel for occasional touch up. We can also order refills for you if you need more of the whitening agent.