Home Bleaching

With age, the enamel on teeth becomes thinner and more transparent, and the inner layer, called dentin, looks darker. Teeth also absorb colored liquids throughout your life. Coffee, tea, cola, and red wine are frequent culprits, along with more tenacious tobacco stains.

Peroxide is the key ingredient in most whiteners. This safe-for-the-mouth bleaching agent forms bubbles on enamel that lift away stains. The higher the concentration of peroxide and the longer you leave it on your teeth, the whiter they'll get. The downside: Bleaching molecules can get trapped in nerve passageways, causing increased, though temporary, tooth sensitivity.

Home Bleaching involves use of bleaching agent of varying percentages in specially fabricated trays (Gum Shields) that are to be worn over the teeth for 7-8 days. It is advisable that you visit your dentist after 2-3 days so that progress of teeth whitening can be evaluated and appropriate recommendations on further use can be given

At-home whitening is an option for anyone with a healthy mouth who has been to the dentist in the past year. Three groups shouldn't do their own whitening: those whose teeth are painfully sensitive to cold; anyone with crowns or fillings on their front teeth (they won't whiten and will end up looking much darker than surrounding teeth); and people whose enamel seems more gray than yellow (due to intrinsic stains from antibiotics like tetracycline taken in childhood). Hold a piece of white printer paper next to your teeth. If they look yellow, the stains are probably just on the surface — teeth should turn at least a couple of shades lighter with at-home bleaching. If your teeth look grayish, the discoloration likely lies inside the teeth, and bleaching won't help much.

We at Dr.Anil Da Silvas Dental Clinics recommend use of Pola Home Bleaching Kits from SDI, Australia of varying percentages. We have been handling home bleaching cases since 1992 & having done thousands of successful cases we would recommend a visit at either our centres for a free smile evaluation & professional advise.