Tooth whitening is a great way to freshen the appearance of your smile by permanently lightening the shade of your teeth without weakening them.

This works by bleaching the internal structure of the teeth using a specially formulated hydrogen peroxide agent, and although this may be slightly sensitive for a day or so, we can usually expect a six to eight shade improvement. The effects of this will be permanent, but as teeth naturally slowly get darker over time, so will the effects of the whitening.

Unfortunately crowns and fillings are not affected by bleaching. However, these can be replaced.

There are two ways that teeth can be lightened.

The tray method that takes approximately two weeks and is carried out at home by the patient, and the power method that takes 90 minutes and is carried out at the practice.

Although there is no difference in the end result, there is more of a ‘wow’ factor with the power whitening as the results can be seen immediately, whereas the tray system gradually achieves the effect over the course of two weeks.