Teeth Whitening At VCCID in Burnaby
In a world where clean appearances are important for daily success, your teeth matter. Whether you’re going for a job interview, a fancy gala dinner or a date with your partner, the appearance of your teeth give impressions.
White teeth can give you confidence in everything that you do – just to know that when you smile, you’ve got glistening, pearly whites can make a world of a difference.
The truth is not everyone has perfect teeth. If you look in the mirror and wish you could have whiter teeth, well, you can make that happen. In some cases the discolouration of your teeth is due to surface stains in which case brushing your teeth and flossing regularly can make a difference (not everyone has a strict routine or regimen to keep their teeth clean).
For others there may not be any surface stain yet the teeth look darker or more yellow. Often this is due to the colour of the dentin underneath the surface enamel. In these situations there are alternative options available for you.
Bleaching your teeth helps restore the whiteness that can erode with time. Teeth whitening is a safe process (in use for over 30 years) when used as directed. All whitening products use peroxides to brighten tooth enamel. It does not weaken your tooth or enamel nor does it make your teeth more prone to future problems such as tooth decay.
Why Do Teeth Change Colour?
In most cases, the natural colour of teeth is within a range of light grey-yellow shades, however our teeth naturally darken with age.
The layer of dentin is what affects the colour of your teeth. Over time, the dentin can become thicker and more dense/opaque. Additionally the enamel on the outer layer can wear away so the dentin colour becomes more apparent over time.
Teeth Whitening Options
Fortunately, there are things that can be done to whiten your teeth. VCCID’s Teeth Whitening treatments provide a professional and safe procedure.
How Long Do Teeth Whitening Effects Last?
The degree of whiteness achievable will vary from individual to individual according to:
- The condition of the teeth,
- the level of degree of staining, and
- the sort/concentration of bleaching system used.
Treatment processes vary and include off the shelf products as well as professional take home products and in office procedures. Once treatment is complete, the new whiteness of your teeth is semi-permanent – just as your natural teeth darken as time progresses, so will your bright new smile.
Generally, patients don’t notice darkening/relapse until six months or year or more has passed, and their teeth will always be whiter than if they hadn’t whitened them at all. If this relapse is a concern, occasional touch up procedures quickly bring the brightness back.
Key Benefits of Teeth Whitening
- Having a beautiful smile may be even easier than you think.
- Corrects brown, yellow and spotted tooth staining
- Works on people of any age (although not recommended for developing teeth)
- Is a near-permanent solution for a “dull” smile, restoring brightness and bringing a smile to life
- Can be done very simply and inexpensively especially compared to alternative dental cosmetic procedures
At Home vs. Dentist Supervised
Now, some of you may be thinking “I can do this myself, can’t I?”
You’re right. But do-it-yourself methods may not provide the same results as getting your teeth whitened by a professional. You’ll want to consider a few important differences.
Over-the-counter products usually contain a lower strength bleaching agent, with about a 10% to 12% peroxide content. Professional take home products are often 15-17% peroxide. In-office, professionally applied tooth whitening products contain peroxide in concentrations ranging ~25%+.
We can often determine if you teeth will whiten sufficiently with an off the shelf product. If so then that will often be the most economical solution. For darker teeth or certain types of discoloration a more concentrated form of whitening agent may be required.
For professional take home kits, your dentist will take an impression of your teeth and make a tray that is customized to exactly fit your teeth. This customization allows for maximum contact between the whitening gel and you teeth as the gel is applied inside the tray. A custom-made tray also minimizes the gel’s contact with gum tissue.
Whiten and Brighten Your Smile – Get Teeth Whitening at VCCID Now!
At VCCID there’s more than one way to a brighter smile – give us a call at (604) 434-0248 or come in for a consultation and we’ll help you decide which option is best for you.
Teeth Whitening FAQs
How long do teeth whitening effects last?
The degree of whiteness achieved will vary between individuals based on:
1. The condition of the teeth
2. The degree of staining
3. The type and concentration of the bleaching system used
Treatment processes vary and include off the shelf products as well as professional take-home products and in-office procedures. Once treatment is complete, the new whiteness of your teeth is semi-permanent – just as your natural teeth darken as time progresses, so will your bright new smile.
Generally, patients don’t notice darkening until six months to a year or more has passed, and even then their teeth will still be whiter than if they hadn’t whitened them at all. If this gradual darkening is a concern, occasional touch-up procedures can be done to quickly bring the brightness back.
I’ve noticed that bleaching doesn’t whiten my teeth as well as it used to. Will my teeth naturally get darker as I age?
The answer is, unfortunately, yes.
As we get older it’s more difficult to whiten our teeth by “bleaching”. The color of a tooth comes from the dentin layer below the enamel. This layer becomes thicker and often darker as we age, and the enamel above often makes this more visible due to erosion or abrasion over the years.
Generally, teeth that are more yellow and uniform in color will bleach reasonably well, however, teeth that are gray, brown, or dark orange in color will not bleach well at all. If one has discolouration due to tetracycline stains (an antibiotic that used to be given to children) then bleaching will be almost entirely ineffective.
