Teeth Whitening
Do you feel dissatisfied with the colour of your teeth? Are your teeth a yellow or dull grey colour? A bright white smile is one of the easiest ways that you can boost your confidence and improve your appearance. Don’t allow off-coloured or stained teeth control your confidence levels.
You can restore your smile to the film-star glam that you’re looking for, with the best teeth whitening products and solutions that our team can offer.
What are teeth whitening treatments?
Teeth bleaching or whitening are a quick and easy way to brighten your teeth and enhance your beautiful smile. Professional teeth whitening is a chemical process that makes use of materials that will not cause harm to the enamel on your teeth.
The whitening products used will get to work, removing both superficial surface and deep internal stains that may be discolouring your teeth.
Both over-the-counter and professional teeth whitening products contain some kind of bleaching agent. This bleaching agent targets the discolouration only. The structure of the tooth won’t be at all affected by the whitening process. It’s important to note that only natural teeth can be whitened. Crowns, veneers and fillings will not be altered at all by the whitening agents.
When your teeth whitening treatment is performed correctly by a professional, using the right products, it is considered to be a safe procedure. This is a non-invasive solution to help you see rapid tooth whitening results in just a few short clinic visits.
It’s essential to keep a good oral health care routine and ensure you’re keeping up with your regular checkups. Even with these oral health care essentials, teeth are subject to stains from the foods and drinks that we enjoy each and every day.
Some of the culprits responsible for some of the staining that is seen on healthy teeth include the following.
- Tea
- Coffee
- Fizzy soft drinks
- Wine
- Tomatoes and tomato-based foods
- Berries
- Nicotine products and regular smoking
- Stain causing chromogenic bacteria
The stains typically take some time to be noticeable, but in time you may start to see you’re your teeth are no longer as brilliantly beaming white.
Our whitening will work to target these unsightly stains and remove them from your healthy teeth. These staining culprits should be eliminated from your diet in order to keep your teeth looking their best for as long as possible.
There are countless options for over-the-counter tooth whitening treatments. They do generally prove to be effective at removing superficial surface stains. They aren’t as effective against stains that are just beneath the surface.
Professional teeth whitening is the most effective option if you are looking to target each of the stain types on your teeth.
The over-the-counter strips, gels and rinses are effective to a degree. They can typically only achieve a small amount of whitening of the teeth. Your dentist will offer solutions that contain higher concentrations of the whitening agent.
Study after study after study has shown that 10% carbamide peroxide take-home whitening kits are the safest most gentle and effective whitening treatment. We will clean any surface debris off your teeth and take some accurate impressions. Personalized whitening trays will be constructed to fit exactly while holding the whitening solution against the teeth. At a subsequent appointment, your trays will be fitted and your kit demonstrated. High-resolution pictures of your teeth are taken for comparison.
Professional teeth whitening is a very easy and fast treatment that can produce quick results.
The results last for three to five years and provide patients with the crisp white smile that they deserve.
By and large, over-the-counter whitening products can help to lighten teeth, but they cannot match the results seen by the professional treatments performed in the clinic.
1-In-office, at the dentist whitening
In-office whitening is sometimes known as power bleaching or laser whitening. A strong gel is applied to your teeth followed by the application of a particular light source to activate the material further. Great care must be taken to isolate the gums from the whitening gel as it is quite strong as will irritate the gum if left in contact with it.
2- Take-home kits supplied by the dentist
Take home kits have been proved again and again to be safe and reliable and either use hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. There are kits for use when you are asleep or others that may be used for a short time during the day. These have been used at home since 1989 and have a long safe history. A custom-fit tray is fabricated for your mouth to hold the whitening gel up against the outside of the teeth for a period of time. Some solutions are used for a half-hour daily and others overnight.
3-Over the counter products
Whitening strips have a really thin layer of whitening gel infused into the material and they are applied to the outside of the teeth to be whitened. The downside is that its difficult to apply the strip to crooked teeth or teeth a little further back. Also, the lack of a good fit can irritate the gum.
Paint on varnish type gel- these are applied to the teeth just like nail varnish which has its attractions in that excess can be controlled. The limitations are it is difficult to keep the material on long enough to have the desired effect. Also, it is best to use a system where the brush is not reused as it will become bacteria heaven otherwise.
Whitening mouthwashes and chewing gums generally attempt to stop stain forming in the first place and have limited effect on already present discolouration.
Whitening toothpaste and even floss are available but are generally too abrasive and in the wrong hands damaging to teeth.
What does teeth whitening cost?
At Cork City Dentist we are committed to providing our patients with a wide selection of treatments and dental solutions. Our competitive prices will ensure that a beaming white smile is within reach of each of our patients.
View our price list below to learn more about what we can offer you. Book your appointment online or call our clinic to get your beautiful white smile scheduled.
| Treatment | Price |
|---|---|
| Tooth whitening | €300 |
| Crowns (dependant on type) | from €700 |
| Porcelain veneers | from €700 |
| Dental Bridges | €700 per unit |
| Inlays & Onlays | from €500 |
| Dentures - Partial acrylic (plastic) | €550 - €650 |
| Dentures - Partial cobalt (metal base) | €1400 |
| Dentures - Full upper | €550 |
| Dentures - Full upper and lower | €1200 |
| Dental Implants - Crown | €1200 (+specialist fee for surgical treatment) |
Are you ready for that film-star glam when you smile? Don’t allow discolouration on your teeth to keep you feeling self-conscious about your smile. Schedule your professional teeth whitening online or call our clinic at 0214501306.
Other Treatments
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Just finished my one year invisalign journey with Micheal and his team. After he spent a whole hour for free with me explaining invisalign and was really reasonably priced, I knew I would go with him. He is SO kind and gentle, and was really helpful and attentive during my treatment, adjusting things when needed. He also recommended his colleague Dr Russell for composite bonding to finish off my teeth and I'm delighted I did, I'm so happy, I have the smile I've wanted my whole life now. I've recommended Michael to my friends with small kids and they all love him too. 100% recommend this dental practice. Thank you Michael!!!
Michelle HealyMarch 4, 2023
Other Treatments you may consider
Dental Veneers
Preventing small dental issues from flaring up into much more severe health problems is possible when you maintain a good check-up routine with our dentist. Both a check-up and consultation for additional dental services and treatments can help you to ensure proper oral health.
Dental Crowns
A dental crown is a prosthetic/artificial piece that fits over a natural tooth after it has been restored or repaired. Some people refer to crowns as caps because they fit your tooth like a cap fits your head. Therefore the remaining natural tooth is enclosed and protected from fracture. Crowns can strengthen the natural tooth while also giving you an aesthetic restoration, which can restore a smile.
Composite Bonding
Bonding consists in the application of composite resin on dental surfaces to repair decayed, chipped or misaligned teeth. Composite resin has the advantage of being aesthetic, reasonably priced and very mouldable.. It is shaped and polished according to the characteristics of the surrounding teeth.
Dental Inlays and onlays
With the exception of a tooth that is need of root canal therapy, the majority of tooth restorations can be completed using a simple filling. A tooth that has decay or damage too extensive for a simple filling, but not in need of a root canal or crown, may be restored with an inlay or onlay to recreate both the aesthetics and functionality.
Tooth Replacement Guide
Compare the options and reasons for replacing missing teeth at Cork City Dentist. We offer implants, dentures and bridges. Book online or call 0214501306. It can be quite unsettling when someone loses one or more teeth, but with the advancements in dental technology, today we have more tooth replacement options than ever before.
Dentures & False Teeth
Tooth loss can lead to several concerns, including a marked impact on the ability to speak clearly, along with issues of self-esteem and confidence. The loss of one or more teeth can result in bone-regression in the jaw bone and over-closing which can, in turn, lead to the signs of premature ageing.
Dental Bridges
Simply put, a dental bridge will bridge the gap that was created by the missing tooth or teeth. The bridge will be fixed to the healthy teeth on either side of the gap. These teeth may need to be capped with a crown to reinforce them or can just have a ‘wing’ of bridge material on the palate or tongue facing side.
Dental Implants
Advances in dental care mean that more people are expected to retain their natural teeth for longer. There are, however, many who are currently missing teeth in their upper and lower jaws. Whether you have lost one or more teeth as the result of decay or injury, gaps between your otherwise healthy teeth can lead to several oral health concerns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everyone’s teeth are a slightly different shade of white and yes this means that unfortunately, some people will have a darker shade of teeth than others. That being said the vast majority of people will have a pleasing colour to their teeth. To improve the whiteness of teeth the first stage is always a scale and polish to remove any debris sitting on the surface of the teeth, for example, tea, coffee and smoking stains. Please do not use a hard toothbrush or vigorous tooth brushing technique as this will damage your teeth. The real irony is that brushing too hard removes enamel which is the white outer coating of your teeth and allows you to see more clearly the yellow dentine underneath. So, in essence, brushing too hard to remove stains makes your teeth more yellow! The same goes for the use of abrasive toothpaste such as smoker’s toothpaste or often whitening toothpaste which either are too abrasive or any chemical ingredient simply not strong enough to make any difference to shade. Whitening toothpaste may help remove the surface stain but unfortunately may also remove tooth structure.
The most common whitening products make use of hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide, (which in contact with water breaks down to hydrogen peroxide). The hydrogen peroxide diffuses into the tooth structure. It then bonds to any staining material in the tooth and causes it to become lighter. A question we are often asked is – is tooth whitening bad for my enamel and the answer is easy- dentist provided tooth whitening actually does nothing to the enamel and only acts on the debris inside the tooth. This process for the average person takes 2-3 weeks. Occasionally a person may take longer but after six weeks further improvements will be minimal.
Whilst undergoing tooth whitening treatment interestingly your teeth are a little MORE likely to pick up stain so care is needed to avoid very strongly coloured foods. Afterwards, life may continue as normal. The one caveat being the less staining material eaten, drank or smoked the longer the whitening will remain unblemished
Dentist-provided tooth whitening is safe and is considered the least invasive form of cosmetic dentistry. Tooth whitening using hydrogen peroxide was first used over one hundred years ago by dentists and in take-home kits for over thirty. The main risks associated with tooth bleaching are temporary tooth sensitivity to temperature and gum irritation. Gum irritation is usually caused by ill-fitting trays or overloading with whitening gel. Teeth may become a little sensitive to cold usually by the third day of treatment with no clear indicators as to which person may be more affected. This will especially be noted if a person is overusing the product due to a desire to get there as fast as possible. This sensitivity is temporary and resolves quickly on proper use or taking a break for a day or two. Tooth whitening, in general, will not improve the colour of any non-enamel material such as old fillings or crowns and these may need to be changed if they stand out after whitening the teeth all around them.
Occasionally tooth whitening will be offered at a beautician, in a shopping centre or on a cruise ship. These locations get around whitening materials legislation by using materials such as chlorine dioxide which are not licensed to whiten teeth and are damaging to teeth. With as little as twenty-minute application teeth can be roughed and lose their natural lustre permanently—steer clear!
The whitening ingredient in Hi-smile is too weak to effectively whiten teeth. Unfortunately confronted with these people are tempted to use the material more and more to achieve a result. This is a problem because unfortunately, Hi-smile contains acidic ingredients such as citric acid and overuse will erode your teeth—steer clear!
Take-home tooth whitening with custom-fit trays in our practice costs 300euro. If you have fillings or crowns or anything that is not natural tooth at the front of your mouth these may need to be replaced after whitening and are charged separately. If a top-up is required – for example perhaps a family occasion a couple of years after your whitening- a tube of whitening gel may be purchased for 25-30 euro. Remember to store your whitening trays carefully, away from moisture and heat.
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Contact Info
Phone: (021) 450 1306 / (021) 450 1250
Email: [email protected]