We are getting more and more people coming in to the surgery to ask about teeth whitening.

This is a hot topic amongst dentists because of a recent court case (it is illegal to whiten teeth if you are not a dental care professional). The General Dental Council are concerned about the risk to the public posed by such potentially hazardous treatment being provided by people without the right training and qualifications.

The two most common ways to get whiter teeth are to use a whitening toothpaste or a dental bleaching treatment.

The main principle of whitening toothpastes is the addition of abrasives to a standard toothpaste. These abrasives remove stains from the outer layer of the tooth enamel but they can only do so much, they cannot remove deep stains from the tooth or change the natural colour of the teeth.

To get a really bright white smile then only a professional dental bleaching treatment will be truly effective. A lot of companies make grand claims that their products can make your teeth 30-60 times lighter - this isn’t actually possible as there are only 16 shades on the standard dental shade guide! There are a number of whitening systems on the market but at Kilbarchan Dental practice we recommend Enlighten which is the only system on the market to guarantee a B1 colour at end of treatment. B1 is the whitish shade on the dental shade guide. By following a simple maintenance program your results will last many years.

As with most things in life it is always best to take the advice of the professionals so if you are considering teeth whitening please ask us first. See our teeth whitening page.