Having dental work done to increase your confidence is getting more and more prevalent in society, with tooth whitening in Manchester becoming especially desirable, and if you are looking to undergo any kind of treatment it is wise to research it first. Whether you are interested in tooth whitening for purely personal reasons, or you think it might give you an extra edge in an important job interview, there are many reasons why having the procedure done might be attractive to you. In this article I will try to help you to decide whether you would benefit from having your teeth whitened, as well as explaining the ins and outs of what will happen when you head to the dentist’s to have your teeth serviced.

Firstly, there are ways in which you can look after your teeth and whiten them without the need for cosmetic dentistry, and these are:

The difference can be quite impressive.

• Drinking less tea/coffee/red wine
• Stopping smoking
• Using whitening toothpaste/brush regularly
• Visit your dentist for polish/scaling

These methods are inexpensive and easy to carry out (with the exception of quitting smoking perhaps!), and are a viable alternative to tooth whitening. However, you may require a faster, more effective way of getting that perfect white smile, and if you still want to get a perfect finish then whitening may be the best course of action for you.

Cosmetic tooth whitening consists of a couple of methods, external bleaching and internal bleaching. With internal bleaching you must have had root canal work done in the past, as your dentist needs to drill into your tooth and inject a bleaching gel into it. After this, the hole is sealed and you must return in a week’s time to have the bleach removed and tooth sealed properly. Alternatively, there is the external method, whereby the bleaching gel is applied directly to the teeth and then blasted with a special light to speed up the process. There is a second way that external bleaching can be carried out, and that is with a well fitting tooth guard that you fill with bleaching gel and apply to your teeth for 30 minutes each day.

Now the next aspect to consider is whether you want to carry out your treatment at home or at the dentist’s, as there are many over-the-counter tooth whitening kits on the market. They are not as powerful as the professional method, but if you wish to carry out your tooth whitening at home then they are a viable and effective alternative.

The external method is easy and painless.

Finally, the side effects of having your teeth whitened:

• Temporary sensitivity to hot and cold
• Sore throat
• Tender gums
• White patches on gums

But these shouldn’t last more than a few days, meaning that without discomfort you will be in possession of sparkling white teeth, and the new found confidence that comes with them!