Home Teeth Whitening

A Practical Alternative to In-Chair Teeth Whitening

Looking to whiten your teeth with home teeth whitening? Although not as fast or efficient as the Zoom Teeth whitening, our reliable professional home teeth whitening products can provide you with consistent results, and the convenience of whitening your teeth at home safely.

Home Teeth Whitening: What Does it Involve?

There are many remedies of how to whiten your teeth within minutes at home, from using baking soda to eating strawberries or using charcoal and other whitening abrasive toothpastes. All these home remedies will whiten your teeth by removing the extrinsic staining on the surface of your teeth, to make the teeth look cleaner and therefore appear whiter.

The difference between these remedies and the professional home whitening procedures that we provide, is that we address the inner part of the tooth and we literally whiten the tooth by bleaching the dentin using active ingredients in the home whitening products, such as hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide in concentrations that only dentists are allowed to prescribe.

Many of the whitening home kits that you may buy over the counter may not have any peroxide at all and if it does, it will be at a concentration that does not produce significant results long term. This is why we recommend checking out the active ingredients before you purchase any products. If they do not disclose the active ingredients when you purchase the whitening product, you will want to wonder exactly what you are purchasing.

Since the whitening products are regulated by the Australian law, teeth whitening products containing concentrations of 6% hydrogen peroxide or 18% carbamide peroxide and/or higher, can only be dispensed by registered dental practitioners, so any over the counter or online products will have to be less than these concentrations.

To find out what products are better for home teeth whitening read our blog What product is better for teeth whitening: Carbamide Peroxide or Hydrogen peroxide?

Home Teeth Whitening Steps:

  1. After our dentist has checked your gum and teeth and there are no contraindications to use the professional whitening products, the dentist will prescribe a professional home whitening product that suits your needs being either hydrogen peroxide (6% to 14%) or carbamide peroxide (18% to 36%).
  2. The whitening starts with the first step, being the removal of any extrinsic staining by cleaning your teeth thoroughly with our professional scaling and prophylactic paste, to ensure that the second step of the whitening, the tooth bleaching, will be effective and the process will not be inhibited by any plaque, tartar or heavy staining present on your teeth.
  3. The delivery of the whitening products can be either inside custom fitting trays that we make specially for you to perfectly fit your teeth, or some products can be applied directly on the clean tooth surface without the need of the trays.
  4. In order to get best results, the whitening products need to stay on your teeth between 30 to 45 minutes every day, depending on the product, and in order to get 6 to 8 shades lighter teeth, this procedure needs to be repeated daily for up to 14 days or longer, as necessary.

Common Questions: Home Teeth Whitening

Q: Why are the professional Home Teeth Whitening kits better than others?
A: Unlike the products you might see advertised online, our products can only be prescribed by a dentist. We can prescribe the correct product specific to your needs that will not only give you the best results, but also ensure safety and comfort during the procedure. We will provide you with complete instructions while closely monitoring the condition of your teeth before, during and after the whitening process.

Q: How do I know which Home Teeth Whitening is best for me?
A: Everyone is different, and what works for some will not necessarily work for others. However, we can tell which products are better for you depending on the type of discoloration you may have, and if there are any pre existing conditions such as sensitivity. Our dental professional may choose between different active ingredients in the product of varying concentrations to best suit your needs.

Q: Are there any risks regarding the use of Teeth Whitening systems at home?
A: Yes, there are. Misuse and not following the prescribed instructions of use for the Home Whitening systems can result in potential irritation of the gums and severe sensitivity. To find out more please read our blog Is tooth whitening safe? Are there any side effects?

Q: How long does the Teeth Whitening treatment last?
A: This depends on the person and their oral habit. The Teeth Whitening procedures we do in our clinic are permanent whitening procedures, in that once you professionally bleach your teeth they will always be lighter then when you first started. However, naturally our teeth discolor as we get older and after a few months or years although your teeth are whiter than what your teeth would have been otherwise, they will continuously get darker in color over time.

In order to keep your teeth white and bright and at the same level you’ve achieved after your initial whitening treatment, we recommend a whitening touch up maintenance program every 1 to 3 months with the Home Whitening products or yearly with the Zoom In Office Teeth Whitening

Contact Our Office to Schedule Your Free Smile Assessment

If you are ready to take the next step and have your teeth whitened, call 08 6244 0089 and friendly and knowledgeable staff will be happy to schedule your free consultation with Dr. Furlan. You can also use our online appointment form below or visit the contact us page of our website.

Do you want to keep your teeth white for life? Please ask us about our “Whitening For Life” Program which is available to patients of our practice.