Teeth Whitening:

How to get a brighter smile

Why whiten your teeth?

Everyone wants to have a white and natural-looking smile. But, with life comes coffee, tea and red wine, making it hard to keep those chompers as pearly white as you’d like.

“Teeth change colour over the years because of an accumulation of stains on the tooth surface, as well as into the teeth,” explains DR THEAN TSIN PIAO of Aesthete Smilestudio. “Teeth also darken over time because the dentine yellows as it ages, and the enamel thins due to wear and tear.”

Surface stains, he says, can be removed by a teeth cleaning at your dental clinic; for internal stains, though, you’ll need whitening or bleaching.

Luckily, achieving that pearly-white smile is easier than most people think, says DR BRENDAN GIN of Smilefocus. “Many people can achieve that dream smile with simple teeth-whitening procedures. It’s the quickest anti-ageing treatment available!”

Can anyone get their teeth whitened?

“Teeth whitening is a safe and effective procedure that can deliver a very good, lasting result with no long-term side effects,” says Dental Surgeon DR CINDY HO of Aesthete Smilestudio. “It’s done on permanent teeth, so anyone ranging from young teenagers to elderly adults with their existing natural teeth can do it.” An ideal candidate, she says, is typically someone with healthy gums and no existing decay, cavities or congenital defects on their natural teeth.

Dr Gin notes that it’s generally best to wait until you’re over the age of 18 to whiten your teeth, as immature adult teeth tend to be more sensitive during the process.

He also says that, while most stains will benefit from a whitening treatment, not all of them do – for example, internal stains that originate from frequent ingestion of a certain class of antibiotics at a young age.

Additionally, cases where the enamel has thinned and worn down to turn yellow over the years, or teeth with congenital defects may not respond to whitening treatments, says Dr Ho. “These dental conditions will have a better result with porcelain veneers rather than teeth whitening.”

What happens during the initial consultation?

“Your dentist will discuss your concerns with you and help determine if there are lifestyle or dental factors causing your teeth to stain or darken,” says DR CLARA GIBSON of Expat Dental. “They’ll do a thorough examination, often involving radiographs, and check the health of your gums. They’ll also check for recession or other factors that could cause sensitivity when whitening. Your dentist will then discuss with you the options for whitening that best suit your needs.”

What are the different options?

“Teeth whitening is a great way to brighten up your smile without the need for any invasive dental work,” says Dr Gibson. There are two main options: in-chair whitening and at-home whitening.

“With in-chair whitening, a higher concentration of whitening agent is used in a very controlled and supervised manner in the dental clinic, and an LED light is used to accelerate the process,” she says. “With at-home whitening, your dentist will fit you with custom-made trays to wear at home, in which you place the whitening agent.”

While the in-office method has the advantage of being faster – it takes about two hours and can lighten teeth up to eight shades whiter in a single visit – Dr Gin says at-home whitening has the advantage of flexibility; not only can you choose the strength of the solution with which you’re comfortable, but you can also choose how often to wear the tray – every night or every second night, for instance – until the desired result is achieved.

And, although it’s a slower method, home whitening tends to produce more predictable results because of the amount of time the peroxide gel is in contact with the teeth, explains Dr Gin.

Do whitening procedures hurt?

“The whitening procedure doesn’t hurt but some patients may experience sensitivity or a tingling sensation during or immediately after the procedure,” says Dr Gibson. “The in-chair treatment can be finished if the patient wishes, or the home-whitening procedure can be skipped for a few days until the sensitivity subsides.”

What kind of results can be expected?

“The more stained and discoloured your teeth, the greater the visual ‘effect’ after whitening,” says Dr Gin. “Everyone’s tooth enamel is different and will whiten at a different rate and to a different innate degree. Nonetheless, there will always be an improvement in the final shade.”

Within the 24 hours following your whitening treatment, Dr Gin says it’s best to avoid dark foods and drinks such as coffee, tea, dark soft drinks, red wine and dark sauces, in order to minimise re-staining.

“Anything that will stain a white t-shirt will stain your teeth! You should also avoid using tobacco products while whitening.”

As for how long the whitening results will last, Dr Thean says that teeth will normally stay white a year or two – or longer, if you avoid coffee, tea, wine and smoking.

“But you don’t have to cramp your lifestyle!” he says. “Teeth can be whitened repeatedly without damage.”

Are follow-up treatments necessary?

“This depends on the whitening shade achieved and whether the patient wishes to take things further,” says Dr Gibson. “Your dentist will review the result with you. Patients with home-whitening trays can do top-up treatments in due course should they wish to whiten further, but we would recommend a dental check-up before a new course of whitening. The result can last indefinitely for some patients, while others may wish to do repeat whitening after a year or more; it depends on the particular patient’s home oral hygiene regime and their intake of staining foods.”

It’s the quickest anti-ageing treatment available!