First time whitening advice needed!

[fagin]

Hi there,

I'm wanting to get my teeth whitened, and as I don't know a lot on the subject I just had some questions, if anyone knows the answers...?:

-What is the best method for long-term, quality results?

-How long can the results last? (I'm not really interested in having veneers by the way)

-How often realistically would I need to get it 'topped up'?

-Can anyone recommend a particular clinic in the London, Surrey, or even Kent area?
Obviously I'd want a good deal price wise, but I'd rather pay more for a service that was actually going to last. But at the same time I don't want to be ripped off!

...Thanks so much for reading. I really do appreciate it!!

[Pageep]

Hi Fagin,

Forum rules do not allow clinics to be named.

I can tell you about our experience. My wife and I had a great experience and the results are fantastic from a teeth whitening clinic in Romford town centre.

We were advised that depending on our life styles the whitening would last at least six to twelve months or more!
It cost us £149 for the both of us and we could also return for a top up every four to six months for just £49!

We have both tried the tray systems in the past, but after experiencing the laser treatment in Romford, we both now prefer this laser treatment because it's quick, not irritable and very affordable and it's done by professionals.

Hope this helps and good luck.

[fagin]

Thank you, that is very helpful!

[angla]

Hi Dr Karen,

Will you tell me that hydrogen peroxide is harmful for teeth??

[grey.ldn25]

Hello Fagin,

You have 2 teeth whitening systems :

1-Laser whitening - at the surgery, 1 hour and 15 mins the sysmtem is called Zoom2 - very reputable and it works very well.Result depend on the inital colour of your teeth,and if you are a smoker,depend of your food as well,if you drink a lot of cofee or tea.... Most of the people do it once every 1 or 2 year...

2- Home whitenng - Trays made at the surgery in (3days), which you place the whitening gel in the tray and then wear the trays for at least 3 hours at a time.- this can take up to 2 weeks.When you think that the result is fine, you can stop to use trays and then just top up when you need to get it whiter or longer.... this system takes longer than the laser bur more flexible and cheaper.Most fo the people do it once every 6 months or so...


My friend did it in a very nice surgery on harley street. If you need more information let me know and i will give you a website.

Grey.

[Stakanoff]

Hi Fagin!

I prefer laser teeth whitening too. I think that this is the best method that corresponding duration-price ratio. But need to save some money up. It is not cheapest way.

I cannot advice a clinic in accord of forum rules but I can advice to make some research in internet about local clinics in your area and ask dentists from that clinics for before and after photos of their satisfied clients. It will help you to find the most experienced doctor

[Nilesh]

Dear Fagin,

There are alot of myths with tooth whitening around at the moment. Firstly, the Zoom2 system which is used by many dentists (including me) is not a Laser based system. Its a Mercury Halide lamp with an infra-red filter on it (important!) Lasers, although available for tooth whitening are currently going out of "fashion" as there has been alot of research showing that these increase the temperature of the tooth too much, a temperature increase of the tooth nerve greather than 5.5 degrees C can lead to the tooth dying. The Zoom lamp has an infra red filter on it, which almost cuts out all risk of heating up the tooth. I believe an average increase of only 1.1 degree C was found by Yaziel et al. a few years ago.

Secondly, the usual question most people ask, is how long will my teeth stay white? Well this is tricky to answer, how long does someone keep a tan? It varies on the individual! A combination of Zoom treatments followed by home whitening with 10% Carbamide peroxide gel in a tray, has been shown to give the most predictable long term results. I tell my patients that they may need a top up once a year. A top up involves them having to use the trays for maybe 5 nights with the gel. Zoom treatment wouldnt be necessary unless they didnt want to wear the trays.

The British Dental Bleaching Society has alot of answers on its website (google it). All dentists who are members of the BDBS have had to "endure" a certain amount of training and should be upto date with most of the contemporary whitening techniques.

Hope this clears stuff up, feel free to contact me if you have any other questions!