Whitening
If you want to lighten the colour of your teeth, you may want to consider teeth whitening. A cosmetic dental treatment, there are various whitening methods available, including at-home kits and professional procedures performed at your dentist’s office.
While our teeth aren’t meant to be bright white, we Canadians want to have a brighter smile. In most cases, our natural tooth colour exists within shades of a range of light greyish to yellow. They darken with age naturally, and the appearance of teeth is affected by the accumulation of surface stains from using tobacco products and consuming certain drinks and food.
You might be surprised to know that our perception of tooth colour is significantly affected by shades of makeup and skin tone. Independent of the actual colour of their teeth, people who use dark shades of makeup or have darker skin will appear to have brighter teeth.
In response to our desire for whiter, brighter smiles, there is a wide range of whitening options out there. They fall within two main categories:
Surface whiteners
To improve the product’s ability to remove surface stains, surface whiteners use special abrasives, and they come as either toothpaste or chewing gum. These abrasives are only finer versions of what you would find in regular toothpaste. As such, they won’t cause excessive wear on your tooth enamel. However, that also limits the effectiveness of the products in reducing surface stains and should never replace professional cleaning.
Bleaches
Often peroxide-based, most bleaching products can alter tooth colour. But, not all discolouration responds to bleaching treatment. If you are considering bleaching your teeth, you should consult with a dentist to determine why you have discolouration and determine if a bleaching treatment can have positive results. Be sure to do this if you have fillings or crowns, have had root canal treatment, and/or have extremely dark stains on your anterior teeth.
We have various bleaching products and techniques available. Your dentist will use one of the following to whiten your teeth:
Vital bleaching is applied to “living” teeth – if your teeth are stained by tobacco or food or have darkened due to age.
Non-vital bleaching is applied to teeth considered no longer “alive.” If discolouration is caused by a root canal, non-vital bleaching can lighten the tooth from the inside out.
The recommended method for your teeth will depend on how many teeth need treatment and how badly discoloured they are.
Looking for a refill solution after a previous whitening?
With a whitening treatment with Urbanview Clinic already under your belt, perhaps you’re in need of a whitening solution. We offer solution refills so you can continue touching up at home. Ask our reception staff!
Please note: Health Canada deems any claims related to tooth whitening as cosmetic in nature. The claims must be very accurate so as not to mislead the public. However, the regulator tolerates some puffery or exaggeration. As a consequence, the results of whitening treatment may not be as convincing as consumers originally expected.