Whitening fee: $560 – records, trays and bleach included for both arches
$50 – Dentist’s bleach refill
Tooth whitening is a dental procedure in which teeth are bleached to become whiter. Products like “Crest Whitestrips” are over the counter versions of whitening but are not considered a dental procedure due to their low powered ingredients. These products work well but do not get you as white as dentist’s bleach. A specially formulated bleach called carbamide peroxide at a specific concentration is used by most dentists for whitening. Generally people do not think of whitening as medical treatment but it is. Tooth pain, extreme sensitivity and even nerve damage can occur if the bleach is applied improperly. Only a dentist should whiten your teeth if over the counter options do not work well enough for you. There are two ways to whiten:
1) Chair-side: Using a high powered light and high concentration bleach a Dentist administers treatment in one to three visits (the most famous version of this is “Zoom!” whitening).
2) Custom trays: Trays are made to fit over your teeth and administer lower concentrations of bleach. Daily applications are needed for two weeks.
At Castledowns Dental we only provide custom tray whitening due to certain risks and few benefits of chair-side whitening.
The single benefit of chair-side whitening is it is the fastest route to a whiter smile (1-2 visits in 1-2 days versus two weeks).
The biggest disadvantage to chair-side whitening is it increases cold sensitivity in teeth and this ranges from almost none to a large amount (eg. I have trouble drinking room temperature water). The sensitivity can be permanent!
Chair-side whitening costs two or three times as much as custom tray whitening ($1000 to $1500)!
The only disadvantage to tray whitening is that it is slower than chair-side whitening (daily application for two weeks).
The biggest advantage of custom tray application is that it causes very little sensitivity because of the lower concentration bleach used. It can also be stopped at any time if sensitivity is encountered. This ensures no permanent sensitivity is created. If sensitivity is encountered, bleaching can usually be resumed two days later (or when sensitivity subsides).
Both systems get you the SAME results (trays get you as white as the chair-side products). This has been proven over and over again in many dental studies.
Both systems require reapplication due to tooth staining after about a year. Trays can be reused and new bleach only costs $50. Chair-side procedures cost the same amount every time ($1000-$1500).
We offer day or night time bleach. Night time bleach is recommended because it is gentlest on your teeth. Day time bleach is available for people who cannot sleep with trays in their mouth.
It is important to remember fillings and crowns DO NOT bleach so they will need to be replaced once whitening is completed (if a match is desired).
Recently home whitening systems have come on the market with blue light devices. Blue lights have been shown to be a gimmick and do not speed up whitening in any significant way when bleach is used properly. In Alberta only dentists are authorized to sell the dental strength concentrations of carbamide peroxide. Please seek a dentist’s supervision for the best and safest results when whitening.