Why do teeth need to be whitened?

Over time, minerals work their way through the enamel of your teeth and the colour of your teeth is darkened. Staining is common in adult teeth, a diet high in drinks such as coffee and red wine or exposure to tobacco can all be a contributing factor. The teeth can be stained from the inside out if the dentin underneath the enamel is discoloured.

There are multiple ways of whitening teeth. It can be done via laser bleaching, using a bleaching gel or a bleaching pen. When your teeth are whitened with a bleaching agent, it passes through the enamel, oxidising the tooth and removing any stains.

Clinical tests have proved that Laser whitening is considered to be the safest and most successful method of tooth whitening available. The procedure involves using light energy and a whitening gel – the power in the laser speeds up the action of the bleaching agent to achieve impressive results in only a short period of time. This method is highly effective, and it does not harm the structure of the enamel in any way.

Some individual may choose to have their teeth whitened in hairdressing or beauty salons, but these services should be treated with caution. Like over-the-counter kits, these treatments can result in inflammation of the throat and gums and often produce very poor results.