Frequently Asked Questions

There are other treatments that can enhance the shade of your teeth apart from teeth whitening. As a first step, you can have dental hygiene therapy which can remove surface stains, tartar and plaque refreshing the appearance and improving the hygiene of your mouth. Other alternatives are composite bonding or porcelain veneers which can improve the appearance of teeth by covering stains or discolouration and improve the shape of your teeth at the same time.

Tooth sensitivity can be a temporary side effect of tooth whitening. However, using desensitising toothpaste or following the dentist's recommendations can help minimise discomfort.

While tooth whitening is generally suitable for many individuals, it may not be recommended for people with certain dental conditions or those who are pregnant or breastfeeding. A consultation with a dentist can determine if tooth whitening is appropriate.

Tooth whitening is most effective in removing extrinsic stains caused by factors like food, beverages, or tobacco use. It may not be as effective for intrinsic stains that originate from within the tooth or certain types of discolouration.

A bridge can replace anything from one tooth to a whole jaw dependant on sufficient teeth being present in key areas to support the bridge. One tooth can support one missing tooth whilst dependant on the site, two teeth can support six teeth. A six tooth bridge supported by two canines and replacing four missing front teeth has the strongest track record for predictablity. It is sensible to replace missing teeth in small spans as this is much easier to maintain and more economical to resolve in the future.

The longevity of the bridge is dependant on how well the teeth have been prepared by the dentist; how well the bridge has been made and fits; how well you are looking after it and what the conditions in your mouth are. It also depends on if you have sufficient teeth in the back of the mouth to spread the load evenly. If you are grinder/clencher then your dentition, including the bridgework will have a reduced life span. This overloading can be protected and controlled by a sleep clench inhibitor appliance.

Dental bridges are a great idea to replace missing teeth if you want to avoid implant surgery. This is especially the case when you have insufficent jaw bone and may need multiply surgeries to replace a tooth/teeth. A dental bridge is reliant on teeth and not the jaw bone to support it. Done well, it is very difficult to see where the bridge is.

Dental bridges and implants are both "tools" used to achieve an outcome. If you have a tooth missing and the adjacent teeth are crowned then it is perhaps better to bridge that gap as the crowns can be replaced with a bridge. This eliminates the need for surgery and may be a more economical solution. It also provides a faster result. On the other hand, if you want individual teeth which are self supporting then an implant will fullfil this need but dependant on what needs to be addressed this may be a slow result. A dental bridge is dependant on the adjacent teeth being strong. If they are already root treated then have higher chance of fracture due to the extra load that they need to carry.

A veneer is a custom lab-made restoration used to cover the face of front tooth to change the shape of tooth to a more pleasing design or protect the tooth as it is heavily filled but it does not enough to merit a crown. An inlay is a custom lab-made restoration used to "fill" a large cavity in a back tooth. It is a stronger and stiffer material which can withstand the large crushing forces generated by back teeth unlike a large composite filling. An onlay is custom lab-made restoration used to "fill" a large cavity when one or cusp( pointed peak of a back tooth is missing or weak in a back tooth. A cusp is a high stress point of a tooth. If it is inappropriately restored with a filling material this can result in overloading of the remaining tooth; a change in the bite by allowing the opposing tooth to wear away the filling and moving into the resultant gap. The end result may well be catastrophic fracture of the tooth. An overlay is custom lab-made restoration used to "fill" a large cavity when all the cusps are compromised/weak but there is sufficient tooth structure such that using a crown would be very destructive.

There can be a number of reasons for discoloured/stained teeth. It is essential that the reason for this be determined so that the most conservative solution to address this be undertaken. If the staining is superficial this can be addressed by GBT therapy. If this discolouration is actually through the structure of the tooth then this can be addressed by the appropriate whitening therapy solution. However, if the tooth is stained and heavily restored and there is an increased risk of tooth fracture the an inlays/onlays/overlays/veneers would be a great solution to address these issues. If the teeth are very heavily stained this needs to be addressed by tooth whitening* otherwise this will need to be masked by using opaque ceramic resulting in a less "alive" outcome to the custom made restoration.