FAQs

A regular dental check up is an essential part of your health regime. It is best to maintain a routine when going to the dentist by visiting every 6 months. You will benefit from regular dental visits along with your own regular cleaning and good oral hygiene which will result in good periodontal health.

Daily brushing and flossing between your teeth is important as it removes plaque from your tooth surface. If the plaque is not eliminated then it can continue to build up and mix with sugars in your mouth to create acid which can cause tooth decay and gum disease.

A regular oral hygiene routine including brushing and flossing your teeth is the easiest way to maintain the health of your teeth and gums. Brushing should be done twice daily and flossing each night. Regular dental check-ups are also important, around every 6 months, helping to prevent many dental problems. Prevention is better than a cure.

It is very important to change your toothbrush every two to three months or sooner if the filaments become worn. When the bristles on the toothbrush become splayed, they no longer properly clean your teeth and can even damage your gums.

Aesthetics’ are the main advantage as dentists can blend shades to make a colour almost identical to that of the natural tooth. Composites bond to the tooth to support the remaining tooth structure, helping to prevent breakage and insulate the tooth from excessive temperature changes.

• Renewed ability to chew and speak properly
• Restoration of facial aesthetics
• Preservation of remaining jaw bone structure
• Reduction of possible gum problems and infections
• Increased confidence and self esteem as a result of all of the above

Anyone who is considered to be reasonably healthy and who wants to replace missing teeth are possible candidates for dental implants. You must have enough bone in the area of the missing teeth to provide for the anchorage of the implants. Some people are missing all their teeth and most of those are excellent candidates for dental implants. Today, we also use implants to replace small bridges, removable partial dentures and even missing single teeth.

Dental Hygienists are specially trained members of the dental team who work together with your dentist to provide fully integrated dental care. They play an important role in dental health, preventing dental disease by providing individual oral hygiene care and instruction to patients

Hygienists perform the following main functions.

• Teaching patients oral hygiene techniques, including care of gums and teeth and advise on diet and prevention of dental disease.
• Evaluation and assessment of periodontal (gum) tissue, including x-ray discussion and review of medical history.
• Scaling and polishing of teeth.
• Application of decay prevention agent.
• Tooth whitening and sports mouthguard construction.

Whitening involves the use of an oxidising agent to lighten teeth. The bleach lightens the colour substances within the teeth, without damaging the enamel. Different areas of the teeth whiten at different rates. This is related to the thickness of the dentine and its base colour which is responsible for the tooth shade. Over time (3-6 months) staining may reduce the brightness of the original results. Using an in-home kit over one or two days will be enough to brighten teeth again. Additional kits can be purchased from Denticheck.

Teeth whitening procedure research has shown that teeth can be whitened by up to 8 shades lighter and that 9 out of 10 people experience successful lightening of their teeth. Not everyone’s teeth respond in the same way. Results will vary due to factors such as tooth colour, tooth density, tooth porosity, and lifestyle habits. Most people will brighten their teeth substantially with several treatments using in home applications. Using the light activated technology a one-hour procedure will provide you with vastly increased whiteness in one session. There are no predictors for the final outcome. Only by attempting the procedure will patients learn how light their teeth will get and how quickly the lightening occurs.

The actual colour of the porcelain will not change but topical stains will be removed effectively. Fillings will not change colour, and may have to be replaced after you have finished your whitening treatment. Before having any crown or veneer work undertaken a whitening procedure beforehand would be most beneficial. It is recommended that your teeth be in reasonable health and not in need of excessive dental work.

Fillings will not whiten, although, because they are cleaned up during the process of tooth whitening, they may appear to have whitened. Therefore it is better to have your teeth whitened before any restorative or cosmetic dental treatment done in order to be able to match the new whitened shade of your teeth.

Your new brighter smile is expected to last 3 to 5 years duration. Clinical studies show that after 18 months 74% of teeth that have been whitened retained their lightness without additional treatment. However everyone’s habits and lifestyles vary and the use of tobacco, regular drinking of red wine; coffee or tea will affect how long the results will last. The take home kit allows you to keep them white at minimal cost.

Many people don’t feel the need to use a top-up kit for years. Often one or two applications with a top-up kit per year is enough to maintain the colour. A top-up kit will last up to 18 months if kept in the fridge.

Yes it is safe. The gel formula will not harm the enamel on your teeth and will not affect your existing fillings. Is there any pain or discomfort with this treatment? Sensitivity is mild, transient and will resolve upon cessation of the treatment. The specially formulated gels are very gentle. If you find the procedure very sensitive then an application of a desensitising agent prior to or during treatment will eliminate the problem.

No, it is certainly not meant to hurt. Home whitening can lead to some tooth sensitivity which is not something which is long lasting. If tooth sensitivity does occur, we recommend a de-sensitising gel or tooth mousse be placed in the home whitening trays and that be done every second application during tooth whitening (i.e.: tooth whitening gel one time – de-sensitising gel or tooth mousse the next, rotationally). Also reducing the frequency of application of the tooth whitening gel will reduce tooth sensitivity.

Tooth sensitivity goes away once tooth whitening has been completed. The stronger the gel, the more likely the possibility of sensitivity. We recommend 10% Carbamide Peroxide, there are stronger (up to 22%) available.

The In-Clinic whitening using 35% hydrogen peroxide. This should not be a painful procedure. Clients are usually aware of a “pinging” sensation and we make them aware that it is to be expected and is not regarded as pain. This sensation will subside over 24 hours after the procedure is completed.

The use of peroxide in the mouth has been thoroughly tested over the years, mostly in lightening non-vital teeth. The only tests done to ensure carbamide peroxide is a safe product have been done using 10% carbamide peroxide. There is a great deal of literature available on the testing of this product and we use only those products that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

We do not use the 15% or 22% carbamide peroxide as those have not been sanctioned as safe to use.

No. Teeth will generally stop whitening after a point and the client will notice that they just don’t get any whiter; this is the point where usage of the whitening gel should cease. They will fade back a little in the first week after you stop.

Yes. They certainly can be lightened to a shade much whiter shade than they are to start with. They probably can’t be taken to a completely white colour but a very significant improvement can be made without having to treat the teeth with caps or crowns. However, to achieve a completely white and unstained look under close observation the teeth will probably still need to have porcelain veneers placed on them. However, the porcelain veneers would look much more real if the teeth had been whitened first using tooth whitening.

Pregnant women can have the in-clinic whitening done, since we control the extent of the spread of the gel in the clinic. Therefore none of the gel is swallowed; therefore none of it can harm the unborn baby. However we advise pregnant women not to use home whitening simply because, although thoroughly tested because this is an elective procedure it is best not to ingest anything extraneous during the course of pregnancy.

Well first of all we take a mould of your upper and lower teeth; we then make stone models from these moulds. A layer of resin is placed over each tooth on the model and then a clear flexible plastic tray is vacuum formed over this model. When this has been specifically cut back and shaped and placed back on your own tooth there is a space between your teeth and the tray in which the whitening gel can sit. This means that you will use less whitening gel for each application and you will be less likely to swallow any of the gel, although it is safe.

It can take from as little as an hour in clinic up to two weeks done every night at home. We usually recommend that if you are in a hurry you have the In-Clinic whitening combined with a Home-Whitening kit so you can get them to the whitest possible colour.

It can take up to six weeks if you experience sensitivity and have to slow down the process but everybody will be able to get to their whitest potential.