Teeth whitening involves bleaching your teeth to make them lighter.
The dentist will take an impression of your teeth to make a mouth guard and tell you how to use it
with a bleaching gel. Then, using your mouth guard at home, you regularly apply the gel for a
specified period of time.
Only go to a registered dental professional for teeth whitening because whitening by people who
aren't qualified, for example in beauty salons, is illegal and puts your oral health at risk.
Some home kits don't contain enough whitening product to be effective. Also, if a dental
professional isn't doing the whitening, the mouth guard provided may not fit properly so some of the
bleaching gel may leak out onto your gums and into your mouth, causing blistering and sensitivity.
Teeth whitening isn't permanent and its effects vary from person to person. The whitening effect
won't last as long if you smoke or drink red wine, tea or coffee, which can all stain your teeth.
Teeth whitening doesn't change the colour of dentures, crowns, fillings or veneers.