At My Local Dentists Northmead, patients constantly ask us about whitening their teeth.
They know, as science has demonstrated, that a great smile can make a first and lasting impression that affects social life, professional life, and even love life.
The answer is that there is no one-way to whiten teeth – it depends on the case.
The quickest and most dramatic treatment is often an in-office professional whitening procedure, but that is not always the best option for some patients and some conditions.
The best answer is to come to My Local Dentists Northmead and consult with us about your case and the type of whitening that is best to get the results you want.
Maximal results only come as the result of professional treatment, and together, we can choose your best option.
Two of our best options are professional teeth whitening and dental veneers.
At the same time, you should keep your teeth as white as they possible with at-home practices and precautions.
While only professional whitening can turn back discolouration, proper care and effort can keep your teeth as white as possible.
Causes of discolouration
Discolouration takes place in the outermost layer of your teeth, the enamel and breaks down into two broad categories:
- Intrinsic (internal) staining. This can result from trauma, excessive fluoride exposure while teeth are developing, or some kinds of medication.
- Extrinsic (external) staining. The most common causes of external staining are poor oral hygiene, smoking, and heavy consumption of ‘dark’ foods that contain compounds, such as tannin, that stain the tooth enamel.
Managing potential discolouration
Here are some specific causes of discolouration and what you can do about them:
Foods and drinks
- Eat right. Have a nutritious and well-balanced diet for general tooth health, and avoid foods that stain. Foods that stain are often dramatically coloured, such as balsamic vinegar, curry, berries, coffee, tea, and wine.
- Rinse your mouth with water after consuming staining foods/drinks such as mentioned above.
- Chew sugar-free gum to stimulate saliva production and wash staining food particles away.
- Use whitening toothpaste to remove superficial staining. Be careful, though, as the abrasives they contain can harm enamel.
- Brush twice daily and floss once to reduce plaque-forming bacteria in your mouth.
- Have your teeth cleaned regularly at My Local Dentists Northmead – See us every six months. At these visits, we can remove bacteria, plaque, tartar, and surface stains.
Age
Yellowing due to age is natural, as is gum recession, which exposes the more yellow root, and it cannot be stopped, but it can be managed.
- Use a soft toothbrush and don’t “scrub away” at the tooth surface when you brush. Overaggressive brushing can lead to enamel eroding and teeth yellowing.
Trauma
- Avoid medications that stain teeth.
- Monitor fluoride intake.
- Wear a mouthguard or protective splint if you play sports or grind your teeth.
How My Local Dentists Northmead can help
Whitening strategies
A ‘partnership’ strategy between My Local Dentists Northmead and yourself is a significant first step.
Our checkups and cleans can affect temporary discolouration, and scales and cleans can go one step further.
But we also have some very effective treatments to increase tooth whiteness, including chemical whitening and cosmetic treatment, primarily veneers.
My Local Dentists Northmead offers different whitening solutions; bleaching solutions and porcelain veneers.
In-chair whitening is fast and effective, taking only one visit.
It uses whitening peroxide, activated by shining a special light, and is treatment is complete within two hours, often brightening teeth by up to 8 shades!
At-home whitening uses custom-fitted bleaching trays. Once daily, you fill the trays with whitening gel and apply them for the recommended period. This is repeated over a few weeks.
At-home whitening has several advantages:
- The patient is in control of pace and colour.
- You can touch up your whitening whenever you wish.
- It allows sensitive patients to control their whitening procedure.
Porcelain veneers
Porcelain veneers are ultra-thin cosmetic caps that are bonded onto the facing side of your front teeth to improve their appearance.
Veneers can be placed on one or all of your front teeth. Veneers are great in the case of stains that cannot be whitened away, or teeth that have stains with other cosmetic issues as well.
Between your good oral hygiene at home and our whitening treatments, you can face the world with the smile of a movie star!
Teeth whitening at My Local Dentists Northmead
Veneers at My Local Dentists Northmead
Dental Care at My Local Dentists Northmead
My Local Dentists Northmead is your trustworthy Northmead dentist in Greater Western Sydney. The appearance of your smile and its underlying health are important to us.
Our highly trained staff treats all dental issues, including complicated problems related to other health conditions.
Our commitment to our patients is a stunning smile and maximised dental health.
We make life a little bit easier for our patients by offering late hours on weekdays and weekend appointments.
GAP FREE CHECK UP AND CLEAN
We offer all patients gap-free check ups, cleans and all preventative treatments if you are in a private health fund ($180 for patients not in a private health fund).
Call us on (02) 9630 9996 or book your appointment online.
We are located at 19/5-7 Kleins Rd in Northmead.