The winter solstice is just about here, and it will still be a fair while before the days lengthen into spring. However, you can brighten up dull winter days with a whiter smile. There are lots of ways you can whiten teeth in Whitby, including whitening toothpaste and other over-the-counter products. All whitening products work by bleaching teeth, or they contain slightly abrasive ingredients to help scrub away surface stains. Still, you will get the best results from a high-quality professional tooth whitening treatment.

Bleaching Your Teeth
Bleaching your teeth can produce dramatic results and especially when you see your dentist in Ajax for treatment. Your teeth can whiten by several shades in just a single appointment, and dentists are qualified to use professional-strength whitening products safely and effectively. These bleaching products contain an active ingredient, most often hydrogen peroxide and which helps to remove surface and deeper stains. Products used in home whitening kits, including custom kits from your dentist contain a form of bleach called carbamide peroxide and which is stable enough for use at home.

Bleaching Your Teeth in Our Dental Office
Having an in-office tooth whitening treatment is the fastest and safest way to brighten your teeth and will give you a whiter smile in as little as an hour or so. We use Philips Zoom whitening products simply because these produce excellent results. During treatment, your teeth are painted with whitening gel while your lips and gums are protected. The gel is activated with a light, helping it to penetrate your teeth more easily. Otherwise, we can provide you with a custom home whitening kit.

Custom Whitening Kits
A custom home whitening kit contains mouth trays made to fit precisely over your teeth, protecting your gums and lips from the whitening gel. Our Oshawa dentist will prescribe the correct strength of carbamide peroxide gel. Sometimes we may suggest whitening more slowly with a lower strength gel if you have issues with tooth sensitivity. You typically wear the mouth trays for several hours a day or leave them in overnight for two weeks. These custom whitening kits are a great way to keep your teeth white after an in-office treatment too.

What about Whitening Toothpaste and Over-The-Counter Products?
Whitening toothpaste can remove some surface stains but will have a limited impact on the overall colour of your teeth. It’s better not to use tooth whitening toothpaste containing abrasive ingredients to avoid wearing away tooth enamel. Over-the-counter tooth bleaching products are not as strong as the products used by dentists because they need to be safe for home use and without the supervision of a dentist. These products may lift the colour of your teeth slightly, but before you use them, make sure you come and see us here at Margolian Dentistry for a checkup.

Why Get a Checkup before Teeth Whitening?
Your teeth are unique, and everybody responds slightly differently to tooth whitening products. This can depend on the overall colour of your teeth and some people with more serious discolouration or internal staining may need porcelain veneers to cover up these teeth entirely. Teeth whitening will not affect internal stains and if you use over-the-counter products, you could end up with an unevenly whitened smile. When you see a dentist before teeth whitening, they can advise you if you are suitable for treatment and if your teeth and gums are healthy enough to whiten safely and comfortably. They can advise you which teeth may not respond well to tooth whitening and how to overcome these problems. A professional teeth whitening treatment will give you a brighter and whiter smile safely.