Over the past couple of years, there has been a surge in unqualified individuals offering teeth whitening treatments. Many people in the UK are unaware of the dangers of having this treatment performed by someone who isn’t a doctor or a dentist. We take a look at why it’s so important to undergo whitening treatment with an experienced medical professional .
Custom treatment
Teeth whitening can only ever be safe and effective when it is a custom treatment. Here at Cliftonville, we invite patients to attend an initial consultation to make sure you are suitable for treatment before proceeding. We will then take digital impressions of your teeth in order to create whitening trays that are a perfect fit for your teeth. The whitening agent is applied inside the trays and as they are an ideal fit for your teeth, there is no risk of the bleaching agent making contact with your gums.
Cliftonville use digital impressions
Here at Cliftonville, we are able to offer our patients digital impressions as opposed to invasive alginate impressions. Traditional alginate impressions are notorious for inducing a gag reflex in the patient because of the gloopy impression material used. They can also take longer as it often takes several attempts to get an accurate impression. Digital impressions involve a simple scan of your teeth, which means less overall chair time, increased accuracy, and a more comfortable experience.
Correct levels of peroxide
In many cases, those offering teeth whitening illegally are using peroxide levels that are far too high and put the patient at risk. During an investigation, some products were found to contain a banned substance called sodium perborate, which contains excessive amounts of peroxide and is known to be carcinogenic (cancer causing). The legal limit that a dentist can used stands at 6%, yet those performing illegally have been found to be using levels surpassing almost 4 times this number. High levels of hydrogen peroxide can cause irreparable damage to teeth and gums, including blisters, burns, and damage to nerves and tooth enamel.
If you would like to book a teeth whitening consultation, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We look forward to welcoming you.