Bleaching refers to one form of teeth whitening that is often recommended by dental professionals for patients wishing to whiten the shade of their natural teeth. Tooth colour is often a big concern for many people and can greatly affect confidence and personal image. Dull, dark, yellow or otherwise discoloured teeth are caused by a number of extrinsic and intrinsic factors.
Extrinsic stains can be caused by plaque, calculus(tartar) build-up, types of food and beverages consumed, tobacco use, beetle nut consumption, topical medications and chromogenic bacteria. These stains are treated with relative ease and great success by professional hygiene procedures such as airflow treatment, scaling and polishing . Intrinsic stains, hereditary or developmental in nature, can be caused by certain antibiotics, fever, trauma, infection, excessive exposure to fluoride, root canal treatment, amalgam fillings, ageing and dental caries. Bleaching may not be suitable for treating all types of intrinsic staining, therefore your dental professional should always be consulted before commencing with a bleaching treatment.
At Massey Dental, we will be able to determine the cause for the discoloration and recommend the best option for you, whether it is in office teeth whitening, zoom/laser bleaching or alternatively a professional home tray based bleaching system. For these bleaching procedures, we use professional whitening systems available only from your dental professional. We also treat discoloured root filled (dead) teeth by using a popular, low risk internal bleaching or combined internal/ external bleaching treatment.
Certain discolorations are unable to be dealt with by bleaching and in these cases, we will perform cosmetic treatments such as placement of veneers or crowns. Before a bleaching treatment commences, we advise a full dental check-up, completing the treatment of all caries lesions and attending a hygiene visit to remove plaque and calculus build up.
If you are concerned about the shade or colour of your teeth, and would like to discover the best options to brighten your smile, come see us at Massey Dental and we can find the best solution for you.