Teeth Whitening

In-office and take-home are different tools

In-office whitening is done in a single visit. The gums are isolated, a professional-strength gel is applied and activated in cycles, and you leave with the result already visible. That immediacy is why people book it before a wedding or a reunion.

Take-home trays are custom-made from a scan of your teeth and worn for a set period each day over one to two weeks. The change is more gradual, and for patients with sensitive teeth it is usually the more comfortable route because the concentration is lower and you control the pace.

Plenty of patients do both: a session in the chair to get the bulk of the change, then trays to hold it. Custom trays keep their fit for years, so once you have a set, topping up later is a much smaller undertaking than starting over.

What whitening will not fix

This is the part worth knowing before you spend anything. Whitening works on natural enamel. It does not change the colour of crowns, veneers, bonding or fillings. If you have a crown on a front tooth and whiten everything around it, that crown will stand out more than it did before, not less.

Grey discolouration from an old root canal or from tetracycline taken in childhood responds poorly to whitening as well. Those cases are usually better served by a veneer or by internal bleaching of the single dead tooth.

We would rather tell you at the consultation that whitening is the wrong tool for your particular staining than take payment for a result you will not be happy with.

Sensitivity, and how we keep it manageable

Some sensitivity during and just after whitening is normal and settles within a day or two. It happens because the gel opens up microscopic channels in the enamel temporarily. It is not damage, and the channels close again.

If you already know your teeth are sensitive, tell us before we start. We can lower the concentration, shorten the cycles, or move you to trays instead. Using a desensitising toothpaste for a fortnight beforehand helps more than most people assume.

Making it last

Results hold anywhere from several months to a couple of years, and the difference between those two comes down to what you drink and whether you smoke. Coffee, tea and red wine are the usual culprits. Drinking through a straw and rinsing with water afterwards genuinely helps.

A cleaning appointment removes surface staining before it settles in, which is why patients who keep up their six-month visits tend to need topping up far less often.

Common Questions

How much whiter will my teeth actually get?

Most patients move several shades, but the honest answer is that it depends where you are starting from and what caused the staining. Yellow tones lift well. Grey tones lift far less.

Is in-office whitening safe for enamel?

Yes, when it is done under supervision with the gums isolated. The risk with over-the-counter kits and salon whitening is uncontrolled contact with the gums, not the effect on the enamel itself.

Can I whiten if I have crowns or veneers on my front teeth?

You can whiten the natural teeth, but the restorations will stay exactly the shade they are. If the goal is an even smile, it is worth planning the whitening and any replacement of those restorations together.

How soon before an event should I book?

Two weeks is comfortable. It leaves room for sensitivity to settle and, if the shade is not quite where you wanted it, for a second pass.