Teeth whitening

Professional whitening lightens the natural colour of your teeth using a peroxide gel that breaks down the stain molecules held within the enamel and dentine. It does not strip or remove any tooth structure.

Before anything else, two honest points about what it can and cannot do.

What whitening will not change

It does not lighten crowns, veneers, fillings or bridges. These are manufactured materials and their colour is fixed. If you have a white filling on a front tooth, whitening the surrounding tooth will make that filling appear darker by contrast — and it may need replacing afterwards to match. Your practitioner will point out any restorations that will be affected before you start, and that assessment sometimes changes the plan.

Results vary between individuals, and cannot be guaranteed. Yellow-toned teeth generally respond well. Grey tones respond less predictably. Staining from tetracycline antibiotics taken in childhood, or from a tooth that has darkened after root canal treatment, behaves differently again and may need a different approach altogether.

It does not clean your teeth. Surface staining from tea, coffee, wine and smoking is removed by a professional clean, not by whitening. Many people are satisfied with the result of a scale and clean alone — which is one reason we do that first.

Why teeth discolour

Extrinsic staining sits on the outside of the enamel and comes from coffee, tea, red wine, cola, curry, beetroot and tobacco. A professional clean removes most of it.

Intrinsic discolouration is within the tooth and is what whitening actually targets. Causes include ageing, where enamel thins and the yellower dentine beneath shows through; tetracycline antibiotics taken while teeth were forming; excess fluoride during development, which produces white or brown mottling; trauma; and the darkening that follows a dead nerve.

Knowing which you have matters, because it determines whether whitening is the right tool at all.

How it works

The gel contains hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. It passes through the enamel into the dentine and breaks the chemical bonds in the pigmented molecules held there, so they reflect less colour. Nothing is scraped off and no enamel is removed.

That is also why sensitivity happens: the same permeability that lets the gel in lets it reach the nerve, producing a temporary inflammation.

Your options

In-chair whitening. A higher-concentration gel applied by a dental practitioner in a single appointment, with your gums and soft tissues carefully isolated first. Suits people who want a result quickly or have an event approaching. Allow around ninety minutes.

Custom take-home trays. Trays are made to fit your mouth precisely from impressions or a scan, and you apply a lower-concentration gel yourself over about two weeks. The custom fit matters: it keeps the gel on the teeth and off the gums, which is the main reason generic one-size trays cause irritation and patchy results.

Combination. In-chair to establish the result, with take-home trays to extend and maintain it. The trays also let you top up later without repeating the full procedure.

Your practitioner will discuss which suits your teeth, your timeframe and your budget.

Internal whitening for a darkened tooth

A single tooth that has darkened after root canal treatment does not respond to external whitening, because the discolouration is inside it. Internal bleaching places whitening material inside the tooth, sealed in, and changed over one or more visits. It is a different procedure with a different outlook, and where it is not suitable the alternatives are a veneer or a crown.

Before we whiten: what we require

Whitening is applied to teeth, and it will not fix anything underneath. Peroxide reaching an untreated cavity or inflamed gum causes pain rather than improvement. So:

• You must have had an examination and professional clean here within the last six months, and diagnostic X-rays within the last two years. If you have had these done elsewhere within those periods, we can arrange a transfer of your records beforehand.
• You must be over 18, with teeth assessed as suitable by a dental practitioner at Victorian Dental Group.
• A complimentary pre-whitening consultation is included to assess suitability. If you are considered suitable, a comprehensive examination is completed to check for decay or other conditions that would rule whitening out. This does not include X-rays.
• If whitening cannot proceed on the day because of a contraindication, only the comprehensive examination fee of $80 is payable — which is rebatable through your health fund if you are covered, and which is discounted from the total whitening fee if you go on to have the underlying issue treated and then whiten.

Whitening is generally not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Tell us if either applies.

Other things that rule it out or change the plan: active decay, untreated gum disease, exposed root surfaces, cracked teeth, leaking fillings, and heavy grinding that has worn the enamel thin.

What result to expect

Shade is measured against a standard guide, and a change of several shades is a common outcome for yellow-toned teeth. Teeth do not become uniformly white like a manufactured surface, and they should not. The edges of front teeth are naturally more translucent and stay slightly greyer, and the necks of teeth near the gum are naturally darker.

A result that looks like a single flat white is usually veneers, not whitening. If that is the look you want, read the veneers page, because it is a very different decision.

Sensitivity

Temporary sensitivity is the most common side effect and is not a sign anything has gone wrong. The gel opens the microscopic tubules in the dentine, which makes nerves more responsive to hot and cold for a short period. It typically settles within a few days.

Ways to reduce it:

• Use a sensitive-teeth toothpaste for a week or two beforehand
• Anti-inflammatory pain relief taken as directed before the appointment, if it is suitable for you. Ibuprofen does not suit everyone; check with your pharmacist
• Avoid very hot and very cold food and drink for a couple of days afterwards
• Do not brush immediately before or after treatment — leave a few hours either side
• With take-home trays, shorten the wear time or skip a day rather than pushing through

Tell your practitioner if you already have sensitive teeth. It does not necessarily rule whitening out, but it changes how we approach it. There is more detail on our sensitivity after whitening page.

Stop and call us if pain is sharp rather than a twinge, if it is in one specific tooth rather than general, if the gum turns white or feels burnt, or if anything is still uncomfortable several days after finishing.

Why supervised, rather than a kit or a kiosk

A dental practitioner examines the teeth first, isolates the gums properly, selects a concentration appropriate to your teeth, and is there if something is uncomfortable. Over-the-counter and shopping-centre options do none of that reliably, and one-size trays leak gel onto gum tissue.

In Australia, products above a defined peroxide concentration may only be supplied by registered dental practitioners as part of dental practice. That is the practical difference between a supervised result and a supermarket one.

Avoid the internet remedies. Lemon juice is acidic and erodes enamel; abrasive charcoal and baking soda pastes wear the surface. Enamel does not grow back.

Afterwards

For the first 24 to 48 hours the teeth are more receptive to staining, so avoid coffee, tea, red wine, curry, beetroot and tobacco during that window. Water, milk, plain yoghurt, chicken, rice and pale foods are the easy options.

How long results last depends on your diet and habits — commonly a year or more, less if you drink a lot of coffee or smoke. Take-home trays make topping up straightforward, and a regular clean keeps surface stain from rebuilding.

Practical maintenance: rinse with water after staining drinks, use a straw for iced coffee and cola, keep up six-monthly cleans, and top up with your trays for a night or two when you notice it drifting rather than waiting a year.

Cost

Fees depend on whether you have in-chair, take-home trays, or both. You receive a written plan before starting, and the pre-whitening consultation is complimentary.

Whitening is a cosmetic procedure, and most health funds do not contribute to it. Ask us for the item numbers if you want to check your own policy. Afterpay and Zip are accepted — see payment options.

Questions we are asked

Will it damage my enamel? Professionally supplied whitening used as directed does not remove enamel. The abrasive home remedies do.

How white will I go? Several shades is typical for yellow-toned teeth, but it depends on where you start and cannot be promised in advance.

Can I whiten with braces? Not during treatment, because the brackets mask part of each tooth. Whiten after they come off.

Will my fillings match afterwards? Not necessarily, and front fillings often need replacing after whitening. We will tell you before you start.

How often can I repeat it? Topping up with trays occasionally is fine. Continuous use is not, and it is the main way people cause lasting sensitivity.

Does it work on a single dark tooth? Not from the outside. That needs internal bleaching, a veneer or a crown.

Victorian Dental Group — 291 Wattletree Road, Malvern East VIC 3145

Phone (03) 9088 5808 · Monday to Friday, 8:00am–5:00pm · closed weekends and public holidays

Book online at any hour.

This page is general information and does not replace advice from a registered dental practitioner about your own circumstances. Outcomes vary between individuals and no specific result is guaranteed. Please see our Disclaimer.