Your Cambridge Invisalign® Provider
At Ainslie Street Dental, our dentists offer both in-office and take-home teeth whitening options to help our Cambridge patients brighten their smiles.
What is Professional Teeth Whitening?
If you feel like your smile isn't as bright as it used to be, professional teeth whitening is a safe and effective way to remove stains and lighten the colour your teeth.
As we age, our teeth become more vulnerable to staining from food and other substances. Particles are naturally attracted to a tooth's enamel, and dark coloured products including coffee, tea, berries and tobacco are notorious for staining teeth.
The bleaching agents used during the teeth whitening treatment process are designed to reverse these effects of aging and staining, helping to lighten the colour of your teeth and brighten your smile.
Teeth Whitening in Cambridge: Our Process
Teeth whitening treatments use bleaching agents that are peroxide-based. Oxygen acts on the tooth enamel as the active whitening ingredient breaks down, creating the whitening effect.
In-Office Teeth Whitening
Professional in-office teeth whitening takes about two hours at our dental clinic. First, a barrier is applied around your gums to protect them, then a thin layer of gel is applied and chemically activated on each tooth. This process is repeated multiple times, until the desired shade of whiteness is achieved.
Take-Home Teeth Whitening
At Ainslie Street Dental, we offer convenient at-home whitening treatments so that you can whiten your teeth in the comfort of your own home. Your dentist will create custom whitening trays specifically to fit your smile, and provide you with whitening solution and thorough at-home instructions to follow during your course of treatment.
Teeth Whitening FAQs
Read the answers to our most frequently asked questions about teeth whitening at Ainslie Street Dental.
- How long do the effects of teeth whitening last?
Teeth whitening isn't a permanent solution to brightening your smile.
Continued exposure to foods and drinks that cause staining, will likely cause the whitening effect to fade after a few months.
If you avoid these items after your teeth whitening treatment, you may just need a touch up after a year or so.
- Does teeth whitening make teeth more sensitive?
Tooth sensitivity is a short-term side effect to teeth whitening. For most patients sensitivity fades away within a few days after a whitening session.
To help minimize any discomfort, we recommend that you use an anti-sensitivity toothpaste before your treatment and for at least two weeks after your treatment.
- Do teeth whitening products work on all stains?
Brown and yellow-coloured stains respond the best to teeth whitening treatments.
Blue, grey and purple-coloured stains generally do not respond to whitening at all. For teeth with these types of stains, patients may be better candidates for cosmetic treatments such as veneers or dental crowns.
- Does teeth whitening work on dental restorations?
Teeth whitening only works on natural teeth. It does not work on dental restorations such as veneers or dental crowns.
If veneers or crowns are part of your treatment plan, teeth whitening treatments should be done before you receive your dental restorations.
- Will teeth whitening damage my tooth enamel?
If used under the supervision of a qualified dentist, it is unlikely that teeth whitening will damage your dental enamel.
It's important to always consult with your dentist before treatment to ensure that you use teeth whitening products safely.
- Does insurance cover the cost of teeth whitening?
Dental insurance does not typically cover the cost of teeth whitening since it is a purely cosmetic procedure with no health benefits for your teeth.