Does teeth whitening damage your teeth? Common queries answered by our team at Dee Kay Dental

Once only used by the Hollywood elite, whitening has become more commonplace in dental surgeries.

Whether using an abrasive method for more deeply set stains, or opting for oxidizing gels, whitening removes deeply set stains, leaving you with a smile that you won’t be able to stop showing off.

At Dee Kay Dental, our team knows a fair amount about teeth whitening in Sheffield and can offer you a whitening solution based on the type of staining you have and the final goal that you want to achieve. Perfect!

Have some questions about teeth whitening in Sheffield? Read on for common questions that our team at Dee Kay Dental are asked about this procedure.

Does whitening your teeth hurt?

In modern times, teeth whitening in Sheffield has become much more gentle on enamel; only in extreme cases of staining will we use an abrasive tool to remove stains.

However, as many of the systems that we use now include oxidising gels, there may be some sensitivity after the procedure is finished. This is temporary and should resolve in a few days.

If you are worried about sensitive teeth and whitening, talk to our team about gentle options or veneers.

Which system is better?

At Dee Kay Dental, we offer 2 whitening systems; Boutique whitening and Enlighten whitening.

Both use custom trays and at-home application, allowing you to fit in or maintain whitening that was performed in our clinic.

For more deeply set stains, such as those obtained from smoking, coffee or drinking red wine, our team generally recommends Enlighten as it involves whitening in the dental chair as part of the course.

This allows us to remove tough stains, giving you a gleaming white smile.

Will it cause damage to the enamel?

There is no evidence that whitening gels cause long-term damage to the enamel on your teeth.

However, they do make the enamel temporarily more porous.

And this in turn can cause the teeth to be more sensitive. If you have concerns that your teeth may have been damaged by whitening procedures, talk to our team.

How long do the effects last?

This will depend on which system you use, your teeth and your general dental hygiene.

For Enlighten, some patients have had results that have lasted up to 18 months with the at-home whitening kit to top up the process.

With Boutique, you can expect the results to last up to 9 months, but once again this depends on your diet and general dental hygiene.

Can I use the same whitening system more than once?

Yes, you can.

However, as a general rule, our team recommends using any whitening system a maximum of once every 3 months.

That way, the enamel has time to rebuild after the application of the oxidising gels and you minimise the risk of sensitivity.

Of course, we will aim to provide you with a weaker version of the whitening gel to apply at home, so you may be able to leave longer gaps between your tooth whitening sessions.