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Frequently Asked Questions |
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What is the dark colour I see in the trays after whitening my teeth? This is generally due to the whitening gel oxidising the surface stains of the old amalgam (silver-mercury) fillings. |
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Why is there bubbling of the gel as I wear the trays? This bubbling is actually part of the whitening process as the surface stains are oxidising. |
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Will whitening harm my teeth? No! Years of research indicate no harm when teeth are whitened with a custom tray and our products (see American Dental Association Statement of Safety). Substantial clinical and laboratory research has shown that tooth whitening gel have no adverse effects on teeth. The active ingredients, carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide, have been used for many years by dentists as an oral antiseptic. |
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Will whitening harm my gums? Tooth whitening gels have no adverse effect on gums and often improve the health of gum tissue due to the antibacterial effect of the peroxide gel. |
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What are the side effects of tooth whitening? Some patients experience temporary tooth sensitivity. This usually occurs in the first week, and cease to exist 1-3 days after interrupting the whitening treatment. Others may have nonspecific sensitivity in their teeth, gums, tongue, or throat. If any of these symptoms are more than mild, discontinue the treatment until you speak to your dentist. Temporary whitening of the gums indicates too much gel applied to the trays and is only transient. Since the whitening tray alters the biting surface of your teeth whilst wearing, your bite may be effected by long time wear of the trays. This will return to normal within a few hours of not wearing the whitening trays. |
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My teeth are sensitive, what can I do? Try whitening every other or every third day. Brush your teeth with SensodyneTM toothpaste. SensodyneTM toothpaste has a high concentration of potassium nitrate. Potassium nitrate soothes the nerves endings and helps eliminate tooth sensitivity. In addition to the SensodyneTM , you could also purchase Gel-KamTM which is a high concentration fluoride gel. Fluoride helps re-mineralise your teeth. Wear this in your trays for 4 minutes prior and after whitening your teeth. If all the above steps to minimise your sensitivity are not successful, stop whitening your teeth for a couple days so your teeth can adapt to the whitening process. Within 24-72 hours of interrupting the whitening treatment of your teeth, the sensitivity should cease. If sensitivity persists, there may be a dental problem which needs to be seen to by your dentist. Contact your dentist for a thorough examination to determine the cause of the sensitivity, as it may not be due to the whitening gel. |
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My gums are irritated/burning, what can I do? This irritation is due to the whitening solution sitting on your gums. To assist in prevention, after you apply the teeth whitening gel in the mouthpiece and seat into your mouth, wipe the gel that seeps onto your gums with either a handkerchief or Q-tip/cotton bud. Make sure that you are not using too much gel. If there is a lot of gel on the gums, you are using too much. You may also apply VaselineTM to your gums prior to seating your loaded whitening trays. This will keep the whitening gel away from the gums and usually resolves the problems. . If all the above steps to minimise your gum irritation are not successful, stop whitening your teeth for a couple days so your gums can adapt to the whitening process.. The longer you whiten your teeth, the more your gums adapt to the whitener and you experience less irritation of the gums, however if irritation persists you may need to contact your dentist as there may a problem other than that directly related to your whitening gel. |
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Will tooth whitening effect my crowns, fillings or other dental work? No! Whitening gels have no effect on your dental work though it should be worth noting that dental work will NOT LIGHTEN as our teeth do, so if you have fillings or other dental work on your front teeth, you should consult with your dentist prior to using this product to prevent unsightly mismatch of the dental work and the teeth. |
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How do teeth whitening systems remove the stains? Teeth Whitening Systems will remove most stains with a gentle action that whitens your teeth. As the active ingredient in the gel (carbamide peroxide), is broken down (hydrogen peroxide), oxygen acts upon the stained organic deposits, which oxidises them into a white colour. This process makes the overall tooth colour closer to its natural unstained colour. Your tooth structure remains unchanged. Years of clinical tests have demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of this system. Over 95% of people treated achieve some level of tooth whitening. Crowns, bridges, bonding, and fillings do not lighten with dental bleaching systems. It should be worth noting that some stains are intrinsic (within) to the tooth structure. For example, Tetracycline stains within teeth, caused by tetracycline antibiotics taken during tooth development, are very difficult to remove as the stain is in the deeper structures of the tooth and not from superficial staining. These types of stains may not reduce. |
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Is the whitening process permanent? For most people, the treatment will last for many years. Your teeth have become stained in the first place from consuming certain foods and beverages. Upon the completion of your initial whitening process, your teeth are restored to their natural white colour. Exposure to foods, beverages (especially coffee, tea, colas and red wines), smoking and other consumables will gradually darken teeth again over time. You may want to periodically whiten your teeth. After an initial treatment, most people "touch-up" about once every 6-12 months which involves a shorter period of whitening in your trays. |
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Once I have whitened my teeth, what can I do to keep them at their whitest? Maintain good oral hygiene, visit your dentist regularly, and use whitening products/toothpastes on a daily basis. "Top up" whitening kits are available to bring back your dazzling smile after 6-8 months. These kits come in simple 2,4, & 6 syringe packets . You can choose the amount you need to achieve the level of whiteness that you want. |
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How much whitening gel do I need to whiten my teeth? This all depends on how badly stained and discolored your teeth are! On average, people use 1 introductory kit of gel (whatever manufacturer) to achieve the results of a whiter brighter smile. |
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How important are mouldable whitening trays? Very Important! Having a mouldable whitening tray (either the self-mouldable or the Toothwhitening.com.au custom whitening trays) is essential to assure proper bleaching results. Non-mouldable whitening trays may cause inconsistent whitening or spotting on the teeth and they are uncomfortable to wear. We offer both types, the do-it-yourself self-mouldable whitening trays and the professional custom fitted whitening trays. Both types are effective and you may decide which type is best for you. |
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What is the difference between the self-mouldable type whitening trays
and the professional ToothWhitening.com.au custom fitted whitening trays? Although both mouthpieces are effective and safe, the professional custom fitted whitening trays are more precise and more comfortable to wear. These are the exact mouthpieces that a dentist would provide to you. They help you save whitening gel (which may reduce your long term cost) and are better for people who may have sensitivities to whitening gels on their teeth and gums. The only disadvantage of these professional custom fitted whitening trays is that they cost more since there are more materials needed to create them and professional laboratories are utilised to create the whitening trays for you. The self-mouldable whitening trays do a great job with whitening though they are a bit less comfortable to wear since they are made from a thicker polymer and they are more difficult to create since boiling water is utilised in the formation process. Despite this, the self-mouldable whitening trays are less expensive than the professional custom fitted whitening trays. Both whitening trays are effective and you can decide which type is best for you. |
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I already have a set of whitening trays. Can I just purchase the whitening gel? Yes!!! At ToothWhitening.com.au, we have a selection of different types of whitening gels to suit your needs ranging from full kits to "touch up" kits with less gel and, hence, less cost. |
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Are the whitening gels used at ToothWhitening.com.au the same as those used by dentists and charged at $450 and over? YES! We use the same whitening gels used by dentists, the only difference is there is no dental visit and so the price reduction is substantial! |
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Who can benefit from tooth whitening? Almost everyone. However, there are some cases where treatment may not be effective. Tooth lightening is ideal for patients who have healthy, unrestored teeth and would like a whiter, brighter smile. Tetracycline discolouration (as mentioned above) is usually not greatly responsive to whitening and artificial dental work will not whiten. |
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Can I whiten my teeth if pregnant or breast-feeding? There is no known hazard associated with whitening teeth while pregnant though since tooth whitening is a selective procedure, it is not recommended to use the whitening gel while pregnant or breast-feeding. |
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How long does the whitening process take? Results are dependent upon individual characteristics of each person and the daily wear-time of the whitening trays, but most people notice an immediate whitening of their teeth after just a few hours of wearing their whitening trays. It usually takes 10-20 hours of cumulative whitening time to complete the whitening process though the level of tooth whitening is very subjective and will vary from individual to individual - you can whiten as much or as little as YOU like. You should take note of the colour of your teeth prior to whitening, since the whitening process is gradual over time, and as a result you may not even realise your teeth are whitening. |
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How long do I wear the whitening tray? The whitening gel will be effective for several hours. We recommend using your dental whitening system for 30-60 minutes per session, unless using an overnight system for convenience. In this case the whitening tray can be worn overnight. Since the whitening tray alters the biting surface of your teeth whilst wearing, your bite may be effected by long time wear of the trays. This will return to normal within a few hours of not wearing the whitening trays. |
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How long do results last? For most people, the treatment is long lasting. Exposure to coffees, teas, tobacco, red wines and certain other stain producing substances will eventually darken teeth again over time. After initial treatment, some people do touch-ups every 6-8 months based on the amount of stain producing substances that they are exposed to. |
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What if I swallow the whitening gel? Every time you use your dental whitening system you will inevitably swallow a small amount of whitening gel. This is normal and, except for the taste, there are no hazards for most people who swallow small amounts of gel. If you (or especially a child) swallows more whitening gel than used for one dental whitening treatment (0.5 - 3 grams), you may or may not experience side-effects, but it would be wise to contact a medical professional or Centre for Poison Control to be on the safe side. Please keep the whitening gel out of reach of children. |
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What is Carbamide/Hydrogen Peroxide? Carbamide Peroxide is the primary active ingredient or whitening agent in some professional whitening gels. It is a stable ,essentially a variation of Hydrogen Peroxide and combined with the unique adherence properties of the specially formulated gel, it provides the chemical reaction required to safely whiten your teeth. |
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Why choose ToothWhitening.com.au procedures over dentist's bleaching treatments? The only difference between the ToothWhitening.com.au whitening procedures custom fitted whitening trays and dentist's custom fitted bleaching trays is PRICE!! We use the same or similar whitening gels and the same or similar vacuum moulded custom fitted whitening trays. By removing the visit to the dental office you are saving substantial cost. |
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Who should not use whitening gels. Whitening gels should not be used by pregnant or nursing women, children under the age of 16, anyone allergic to any ingredient contained whitening gels, by those who experience abnormal sensitivity during normal dental procedures or those with untreated dental problems. |
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Why aren't my teeth whitening evenly? Sometimes the biting edges and the sides of the teeth whiten more quickly than the rest of the teeth. This occurs because your enamel is thinner in these areas and responds faster to the whitening process. As you continue to use your whitening gel, the rest of your teeth will catch up and the colour should even out. |
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Is this a substitute for regular dental treatment? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! Your dentist is an integral part of maintaining adequate oral health and should be consulted on a regular basis to ensure oral health. |
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Does the whitening gel work on tartar/calculus build up? No! Patients need to realise this procedure only whitens stained teeth. It does not remove tartar build-up. This needs to be removed by a dentist or hygienist. |
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Why should I purchase additional impression material? An extra set of impression material is recommended for those who purchase custom fitted whitening trays. Flawed impressions are a rare occurrence, but why take the chance? If you take flawed impressions, simply break out the extra set of material and do it again! It couldn't be easier! This is a great way to insure that you get the correct impressions every time! If you do get a flawed impression you will have another lot of impression material to use rather than paying for delivery of a second lot of impression material. If you do not get a flawed impression and you did order extra impression material, simply send back the unused impression material and we will send you some extra gel with your trays - YOU CAN'T LOSE ORDERING ADDITIONAL IMPRESSION MATERIAL with your initial order. |
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What are whitening strips? Whitening (Bleaching) Strips are mildly effective over the long run, but do not provide comparable results with dental bleaching system using mouldable trays. Many people who have used whitening strips then purchase mouthpiece-based whitening system to significantly whiten their teeth or correct any uniformity issues created by whitening strips. In order to obtain the level of whitening provided by mouthpiece-based whitening systems, you will probably need to use four to six boxes of whitening strips. Problems noted with whitening strips are non-uniform whitening of the teeth. Many people who use whitening strips inadvertently create a yellow stripe across the area of teeth just before the gums (the more whitening strips that are used, the more pronounced this yellow stripe becomes). Whitening strips provide incomplete coverage of all visible teeth (only the front 4-6 teeth are covered while leaving all other teeth unbleached). Also, whitening strips have an extremely short shelf-life. Because whitening strips utilise hydrogen peroxide as its active ingredient (not carbamide peroxide as used in professional dental offices), shelf-life of this system is very short. This means that by the time a package of whitening strips is manufactured, warehoused, distributed and shelved at a retail shop, the active ingredient may already be deactivated or have lost the majority of its whitening power. |
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What about whitening toothpastes and sprays? Whitening toothpastes and whitening sprays are not very effective and will probably not give you the results that you desire since they lack the ability to hold the active ingredients against the tooth for long enough to generate adequate results. |
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What is the treatment procedure? Either an impression of your teeth will be made by you at home with our easy-to-use professional impression kit or you will self-mouldable our standard whitening trays at home. You will then apply our whitening gel inside the whitening tray and place the whitening tray over your teeth. You may wear the whitening trays from 30 minutes - 3 hours per day. Most people see quick results within only one week. |
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How do over-the-counter whitening kits differ? Some over-the-counter trays are not mouldable to your teeth and do not hold the gel in the proper position. Many over-the-counter whitening gels are not thick enough to stay in place and will leak out of the tray. Many over-the-counter gels typically have less effective active ingredients or a lower concentration of active ingredients. In some cases they do not use professional ingredients at all. Many of these system utilise a single dual-arch mouthpiece that will not allow you to talk, drink or breath properly when using. These mouthpieces are also usually made from inferior plastics or foam and can cause uneven whitening (or striping) of the teeth. |
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How does this compare to Colgate "Simply White" or other paint on systems? Toothwhitening.com.au offers whitening trays that are professionally fitted or self-mouldable allowing the whitening gel to stay in contact with the teeth for the desired period of time. Paint/Spray on whiteners do not hold the gel on the teeth as well as do fitted trays whether custom fitted or self-mouldable. |
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Guarantee | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Copyright 2003 ToothWhitening.com.au
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