Teeth whitening at our Geelong dental practice
June 24, 2015The rise of cosmetic dentistry procedures and treatments shows no sign of slowing down, with more and more products and procedures becoming available.
One of the most popular and affordable ways to improve your smile with cosmetic dentistry is to have your teeth whitened. A brighter, whiter smile is often at the top of the wish list when it comes to aesthetics and personal appearance. A whiter smile has also been shown to be linked to a person’s self-esteem. If you have stained and yellow teeth, you might not feel particularly confident about smiling and yet smiling is one of the most important ways we make a connection with someone and create a good first impression.
There are various ways and reasons why teeth become discoloured. Teeth can become discoloured due to staining on the surface of the tooth or by changes inside the tooth.
Staining on the surface of the tooth is often caused by smoking or foods and drinks such as coffee, red wine and coloured fizzy drinks which are absorbed by the outer layer of the tooth – the enamel.
Discolouration can also occur on the inside of a tooth. This occurs where there has been exposure to too much fluoride as a child, a mother has used certain antibiotics during the second half of her pregnancy, a child under the age of eight has taken a course of tetracycline antibiotics, or from a trauma sustained to a permanent tooth.
Our teeth naturally yellow over time too. As we age, the enamel of our teeth thins, allowing the dentin (the yellow-coloured inside of the tooth) to show through.
To remove the discolouration on the outer surface of a tooth, our dentists can carry out teeth whitening here at our Geelong dental practice. A bleaching agent is applied to the tooth or teeth which breaks up the molecules that form stains on and inside your teeth.
Teeth whitening can be carried out under the supervision of a dentist in our dental clinic, or at home with a custom-made tooth whitening kit purchased from us here at Dentistry of Excellence. Talk to our cosmetic dentists today and we can advise you on the options you have to get the bright and beautiful smile you want!