Teeth Whitening Or Dental Veneers?

Which procedure to improve your smile? It depends….

For many people, having nice attractive teeth is just as important as having healthy ones. Thankfully, you don’t have to choose, and by seeing our experienced Chelmsford team for regular checkups, we can help you keep your teeth and oral health in the best possible shape. We can also help you to improve your smile with the wide range of cosmetic dentistry that we provide at Blue Sky Dental.

The most common cosmetic issue that local Essex people come to see us about is their dull or discoloured teeth. These can range anywhere from mildly discoloured to heavily stained, meaning that different treatments are often needed for different situations. In today’s blog, we are going to take a look at the two main treatments used to improve teeth like these, and discuss which one you might need.

Teeth whitening procedure

Generally speaking, teeth whitening is preferred where discolouration is mild to moderate. Some light staining can be removed this way and your teeth can also be whitened if they are starting to look dull from your age.

The treatment is entirely non-invasive and can be repeated many times with no harm coming to your teeth. We use a teeth whitening system that allows you to whiten your teeth at home whilst you read or watch TV. You will be given a set of trays in which the whitening ingredient is placed; the trays are then placed over your teeth and worn for a short time each day. You will be given full instructions regarding this and times may vary from person to person depending on your requirements. The trays are made from impressions that we take of your teeth to ensure a comfortable fit and to prevent the whitening ingredient from leaking out.

For those who wish to have the ‘whitest of white’ smile, as seen on many celebrities, we can also offer a ‘top up’ in our dental clinic after you have completed your treatment. Whilst we are sure that you will be delighted with the results from using the trays, for those that want just that little bit extra whiteness, we are happy to help!

Dental veneers

Given how well the above treatment whitens your teeth, you might ask why veneers would be used as this does require a certain amount of invasive dentistry to prepare before they can be fitted.

The reality is that whilst a teeth whitening procedure should improve the whiteness of any teeth, those that are heavily stained may not attain the result that you had hoped for. Teeth that might fall into this category can include those of heavy smokers or people who have consumed a lot of staining products. Of course, if there are other visible ‘defects’ such as small chips or cracks, these are still going to be there after a whitening procedure – this is where veneers can help to mask those problems. These then, are some of the most common reasons whilst porcelain dental veneers might be used instead at our popular Chelmsford surgery.

Fitting veneers usually requires a fine layer of tooth enamel to be removed using a tool known as a burr, under local anaesthetic . Once this has been done, we will take impressions of the teeth which are sent to a    laboratory for the veneers to be prepared. This usually takes a week or so and you will be provided with temporary veneers during this time to protect your teeth.

Once the new veneers arrive back at Blue Sky Dental, we will contact you so that we can complete the treatment. To do this, we will first of all remove the temporary veneers and clean away any residual adhesive. The new veneers will then be attached teeth using a strong clinical adhesive which will holds them securely in place. We will then trim and polish the veneers to make them look entirely natural.

Once this treatment is complete, providing that you look after them correctly, your new veneers should help you have a great looking smile for around ten years or so.

Achieving a great looking new smile shouldn’t be taken lightly and we strongly recommend that you avoid any DIY dental suggestions that you might see online. Some of these are very dangerous for your teeth and gums. To get the smile that you are looking for and to keep your oral health in good shape, you should always seek the advice of an experienced cosmetic dentist.

If you would like to discuss a smile improvement with one of our experienced Chelmsford team, please call us to arrange an initial consultation on 01245 211070.