Dr. Tony Kilcoyne gives his Specialist* overview of the current Power Whitening, Tooth Bleaching and Teeth Whitening benefits, lasers, lights, options and legal controversies in the UK and World-wide too! We discuss Power Bleaching systems ( such as Britesmile, Enlighten, Pola, Zoom 1, Zoom 2, Zoom Advance, Deep Bleaching etc), to tray gels of various concentrations to the much weaker products sold in UK shops that make such wonderful claims! Whether you are a Patient, Dentist, Doctor or Surgeon wanting more general information about these tooth bleaching Cosmetic or Medical procedures, without Plastic Surgery, we hope you find our Opinions and extensive experiences interesting.
Dentists - Do you want Dental Courses for DCPs (PCD's) and Staff? - Click Quality Dental Courses now!
Dental teams can also visit www.4everlearning.com for unlimited verifiable CPD online for all GDC registrants ( Dentists and DCPs !), Whether Dental Nurses, Dental Hygienists, Dental therapists, Dental Technicians, Clinical Dental Technicians, Orthodontic Therapists etc, for CPD courses and teamworking education content. Indeed, could one argue that one's overall appearance is so improved by good tooth bleaching and teeth whitening, that Cosmetic Facial Surgery, Facelifts, botox, collagen Implants or other Cosmetic Surgery and Plastic Surgery treatments become less effective, cosmetically or psychologically? Either way, a nicer, whiter brighter smile says a lot about you to others that you meet - we can help you achieve that easily - literally a whiter smile can be achieved the same day on your Teeth.
With Dr.Kilcoyne, you gain his extensive experience and expertise in these new techniques and options, to benefit your Smile!

Tooth Whitening refers to any form of tooth colour improvement, which has been siezed upon by some toothpaste manufacturers to imply they actively whiten teeth significantly, when "stain reducing" rather than "tooth whitening" would be more accurate in terms of their action and scientific evidence. We even have "Tooth Whitening" chewing-gum!

Any products you can buy "over the counter" usually are weaker than professionally applied and supervised products, for safety reasons. However, once professional whitening procedures have been completed, then these over the counter "whitening" toothpastes and products can help maintain those "whiter" improvements for longer. Clearly, there is a lot of marketing "hype" out there that needs to be put back into proportion.

Although products like those above sell in high qualtities in the UK, their titles like "Rapid White" or the toothpaste below this in the above picture saying "Extra Whitening" are at best misleading and at worst a totally false claim, compared to the "Mainly stain reducing slightly, perhaps" reality of how they actually work for most people.

Only Dentist supervised tooth bleaching is safe, effective, a high enough concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide in a neutralised form, applied carefully around gum tissues, old fillings and crowns to avoid damage and/or sensitivity or nerve problems.

Do NOT use normal hydrogen peroxide or allow unknown sources of chemicals claiming to be Tooth Whitening gels into your mouth just because they are cheap - they could cause permanent damage to teeth, gums or worse !!!

Indeed Professional toothwhitening by a qualified Dentist is safe, can often avoid injections or tooth removal and has great social and psychological benefits too, when done well and avoiding common dental problems that non-Professionals cause, giving toothwitening a bad press and in some cases, causing damage to teeth and gums when done wrong!

The pictures below show OUR results for before and after our advanced 1 hour tooth bleaching treatment - note the great result AND how healthy and undamaged his gums are, when done expertly:


Will Bleaching give you a whiter smile forever?

No, is the straight answer. But then neither does general Cosmetic Surgery, Breast Implants, Facelifts last forever either! Also, tooth bleaching techniques DO NOT lighten artificial Dental work ie:Fillings, Crowns etc, but used incorrectly bleaching materials can damage Dental work permanently!
Only natural tooth substance lighten, which is important in treatment planning!. Thus you may need or want to change some restorations to match any lighter tooth shade achieved first by tooth bleaching, which will have further costs implications.
Although bleached teeth gradually darken again, it could be 2 or 3 years before you need a "partial" bleaching top-up, to maintain the lightness desired. A lot depends on how much you are willing to change your "lifestyle". Drink less "staining" liquids such as tea and coffee, use the cleaning techniques recommended by your Dentist or Hygienist, see your Dentist regularly to monitor your Dental health and get more frequent "scalings", then you will have whiter teeth for longer! However, lots of consumption of tea, coffee (look at what this does to white cups!), smoking, red wine etc, means that your lifestyle indicates you may need a full treatment within 2 years (rather than a "partial" top-up) to get a whitness you are happy with. Interestingly though, once people have experienced lighter teeth, they often take better care of their smiles AND want the full treatment again, to see if they can go even lighter next time!

POWER BLEACHING and POWER WHITENING:

This usually refers to very high concentrations of Hydrogen Peroxide gels (20%+ strength), which ironically are prone to causing too much de-hydration which can re-hydrate and reverse the whitening effect almost completely. The dehydration also seems to impede the whitening process deeper in the tooth, by forming a more impervious barrier to the osmotic effect of the tooth whitening gel. This includes branded names such as Enlighten, Pola and Zoom, but the manufacturers can change concentrations and gel formulations with little notice, so these must be checked regularly. We use Britesmile's gel (only 15% hydrogen peroxide), which produces significant results that last better for the majority of patients, with only about one hour of treatment. This is usually enough alone, but some other light systems often need to progress to the other tray-based options below. Some "Power" Bleaching systems use very high concentrations of Hydrogen Peroxide (30% or above) which may de-hydrate the teeth even more greatly. Dehydration also makes teeth look whiter initially, but although this doesn't harm the tooth, it is prone to quickly reversing some of the whitening when you drink water or "coloured" liquids etc. Thus, the optimum results are NOT always achieved using the higher concentrations that cause higher de-hydration! Thus the long-term whitening effect is optimised if the de-hydration is kept to a minimum. Britsmile's gel has a special formulation that also "re-hydrates" teeth too whilst it is being used, thus minimising any "de-hydration" loss in whiteness, that occurs with all bleaching systems. This is why OUR bleaching system is the quickest AND the most effective, short and medium-term, as the growing scientific evidence proves!





Just Look below at some of the results we achieved in the same day, at our Specialist* Practice!

An example of Dark teeth bleaching improvement:

Before bleaching, gums isolated.

Results after just 1 hour bleaching !!!

Here's an example of the most difficult type of case to whiten teeth on.
This Young professional has Tetracycline staining from medication taken in childhood.
He no longer smiled or laughed in public and was embarrassed at work too!

Before Bleaching view with lips retracted

Post Bleaching view after just 1 same-day treatment !

As you can see, a massive same-day improvement for someone who was told
that nothing could be done unless he had full mouth Crowns or other extensive work.
Fortunately, he had heard of our advanced, safe, non-invasive alternatives !!!
Now he Smiles all the time, is much more outgoing and successful at work too.


Another Example of how even relatively light teeth can still be lightened further:



Please note that this patients teeth above were already a lighter shade to start with, yet she went even lighter, whiter and brighter!!!
Individual results cannot be guaranteed, everyone varies, but with this system we guarantee that your teeth WILL be lighter and brighter - all that varies is by how MUCH will your teeth be brighter. This depends how well your teeth respond to our special "bleaching" procedures, but at least you will know the results the same day, without delay, from the most tried and tested Same-Day system in the World, applied by an Accredited Specialist* too!
Where else can you get this AND be treated by someone as Experienced as Dr.Kilcoyne, at his Smile Specialist Centre, here in Haworth, W.Yorks?

Remove cap from BriteSmile To Go™ Whitening Pen. Refresh the BriteSmile To Go™ brush tip by clicking the pen until a small droplet is visible. Rinse your mouth with water before applying to teeth. Just two easy 30-second applications a day is all it takes. Apply a thin layer of BriteSmile To Go™ directly onto the front surfaces of the teeth. It absorbs quickly and begins whitening. Replace cap when you are finished - it's that simple..

Other options to same-day bleaching can include using trays daily or nightly, over much longer periods. These may be cheaper initially, but require multiple visits and the results are often not as "white" or long lasting either and teeth are sensitive when these are used for weeks of treatment. The pictures below show Dr.Kilcoyne teaching Dentists how to construct these and how to apply the gel correctly to get medium-good results with trays.

Professionally assisted Tooth Whitening

This may be started at the Dentists, then is completed at home under the instructions and with the materials your Dentist provides to you. Typically this would take 2 weeks of wearing bleaching tray's nightly, using the prescribed bleaching gel. However, certain resistant discolouration may need many more days/weeks of tray bleaching before a satisfactory, lightened result occurs. Everyone is different and unique !!!

How much improvement can I expect?

Again, everyone is different, with different needs and causes of their tooth discolouration. With our same-day treatments, we have been getting an average of 8 or 9 shade improvement in Brightness, with the loss of 2 shades in the first 4 weeks, then losing 1 shade every 6 months. This has been backed up with clinical studies too, in the USA. For trays, we have found that most people get several brightness shades improvement ( 4 or 5) on a Dental shade guide, but then lose about 1 shade every 4 months. Everyone is different though, which is why a personal consultation is essential! Usually, the Darker the teeth, the greater the scope for improvement. However, there are some stains resistant to treatment (eg: Grey's), and these may need bleaching for much, much longer, or need same-day bleaching and trays combined, multiple Britesmile treatments or even other kinds of treatment that remove tooth substance, such as Veneers or Crowns. This is why an individual assessment is so important!

If I Have the same day 1 hour whitening from you, is the next 24 hours a problem for sensitivity or eating ?

Some sensitivity is normal, tends to be on and off and just short duration (seconds). If anything goes beyond short sensitivity, take your normal painkillers. It is rare that therethen would be any need to contact the treating dentist, but if at all concerned, do contact them directly for advice.
Diet wise, you do need to be "good" for 24 hours! Basically, for just 24 hours avoid ANYTHING in your mouth that would stain a white shirt or blouse on contact !
So if you are a red wine drinker, swap to white wine, if you must have a coffee or tea, drink it through a straw and rinse with water afterwards!
Before your visit, therefore, have your Curry, red wine, Coffee/tea and prepare some simple to eat yet relatively stain-free meals for the rest of that day.
For example, you can eat chicken, white rice, fish (but not the dark skin), bananas, semolina etc. See the advice card that we issue below:



Please remember that the advice is different with trays worn over a longer period of weeks or months. The problems such as chewing through trays or sensitivity may last longer or reduce improvements too!
Britesmile is just a simpler, same day bleaching treatment with a 24 hour inconvenience, but with the best results possible too!

How does" Professional " Tooth Whitening work?

Basically, your Dentist or Specialist has "Professionally" examined your teeth and mouth, has prescribed the best bleaching concentration and application for your needs and wishes, as well as carefully monitoring during and after treatment - that is why this is superior and safer than any "over the counter" products unsupervised!
Teeth may have darker enamel and dentine to start with, but do naturally darken over time as minerals and stain penetrate the tooth's enamel too. Whitening agents work by forcing oxygen through the enamel of the tooth. Stains then quickly disappear, without damaging the tooth's structure. This has been confirmed by scientific studies from the USA, where bleaching techniques are nearly 20 years old!. Dr. Kilcoyne knows the very latest techniques and materials (some of these are a significantly higher concentration than those previously used in the UK) from the USA, where he studied in New York just before the tragic terrorist attacks there. He has since returned to the USA several times and has the latest information on bleaching materials and techniques, to benefit Patients and Dentists too!

Why is there some controversy here in the UK about the legal position on "Tooth Bleaching" products?

Unfortunately, it seems that because some recent European legislation was drawn up about all hydrogen peroxide (a type of bleach) products being sold direct to the public, it was included in the "Cosmetic" directives (which limits use to extremely small concentrations). This was mainly to prevent the public buying cometics and eating them for self-harm or putting in their eyes accidently etc. The EU seem to have overlooked that "Professionally" supervised tooth bleaching products, which have many years (15+) of Scientific evidence of safety should have perhaps been placed in the "Medical" directives, which would have allowed their continued "prescription" without any confusion. There are now moves to correct this legal "oversight" and the "professionally supervised" tooth-bleaching treatments continue in the rest of mainland Europe, the USA and the majority of the rest of the world as normal ! Only the UK seems to have made this a formal "legal" issue, with the DTI taking a products company (not Dentists!) to English court, losing the case initially then winning the appeal in high court, on a technicality. Even this "appeal" showed that "professionally supervised" tooth bleaching was extremely safe and effective, that has never been an issue! Since then, both the previous Government's Chief Dental Officer (Robin Wild and Dame Margaret Seward) have said that the Department of Health agree that therapeautic uses by Dentists are OK.

More recently the GDC has said that as long as registrants are applying tooth bleaching gel for therapeutic use and with patients' consent, they will not take action and even the Department of Trade and Industry have had circulars to take a low profile on this issue. Unfortunately there are no guarantees that no action will be taken, even when acting in patients' best interests, so Dentists must continue to put themselves at some risk, so that patients are not left feeling miserable about their smiles, or even getting depressed about it, or pick up the drill and cut healthy tooth down for Veneers or Crowns without using the tooth Bleaching option, due to the legal uncertainty. Clearly non of this is helping anyone, least of all our patients who wish to access 21st century techniques!

Meanwhile the current "intermediate" legal judgement has yet to be tested in the European courts, especially as certain authorities believe that this law applied to Dentistry, would be an infringement of the Dentists and patients Human Rights to chose. It is highly likely that European Courts would quash any anti-tooth bleaching treatment judgement outright, that infringes Human Rights legislation, or forces patients to have alternative, more destructive treatments, when tooth bleaching is a perfectly safe and preferable treatment in many cases.

No-one though seems keen to spend millions in legal fees to finally put this "ridiculous" situation to rest, in the public interest. Thus, Professionally applied tooth-bleaching is still "widely" available in the UK from Dentists, it improves greatly the self-esteem and social and psychological health of patients.
It motivates people to look after their dental health better and prevents more invasive treatments being needed in the future. Tooth Bleaching is widely available in the rest of Europe, the USA and indeed the rest of the world. It may though still take years before European parliamentary time is given to formally "correcting" their recent "oversights" in law with respect to "Professionally supervised" tooth bleaching by Dentists.

I am certainly not advocating breaking the law (for which I have great respect), but clearly the "spirit" of this relatively new law needs interpretation, compared to the letter of the law, which I feel has not yet been "completed" by the UK and European legal system, with respect to Dentists and their Patients Human rights for tooth bleaching.

You may also be interested to know that other "legal" quirks exist. For example, if you take a "black carriage" cab in London, without a bail of hay with you, then you are also "breaking" the law. Clearly, that would be ridiculous if it was "still" enforced, but the legislators have yet to get around to changing this situation! Likewise, UK Dental tooth-bleaching has yet to be "legally concluded" and matured in process and hopefully common sense will prevail in the public interest.

In the meantime it seems UK Dentists risk being Dammed if they offer tooth bleaching options to their patients who are asking for this type of treatment (via the EU Cosmetics Directives) and Dammed if they don't via EU Human Rights legislation and professsional ethical guidance to offer the most effective treatment options that do least harm to patients or have least risks!

It is hoped that pressure put upon European parliament will change this law and allow Dentists, who are the only people properly trained to examine and diagnose treatment best needed for a patients mouth, taking account of their medical history and oral tissue checks etc, to prescribe ANY appropriate treatment and maybe even allow shops to sell some of the whitening strips we see available in the USA - watch this space for latest news and views on this!

Alternatives to tooth bleaching:

All the alternatives to using professionally supervised bleaching gels with greater than 0.1% Hydrogen Peroxide are either very ineffective or involve the irreversible removal of tooth substance. Alternatives can involve whitening treatments topical materials that are either less effective (virtually everything bought over the counter in the UK that claims tooth whitening), or weaker Dentist applied gels (eg: Sodium Perborate, Calcium Peroxide etc,) or much more caustic materials (eg: HCL + Pumice) and abrasive, wearing away some of the tooth surface. Other "abrasive" treatments may even "roughen" teeth, causing more staining ultimately!
Restoratively, teeth can be treated with various Veneers or Crowns (we do over 25 types for different phyisical and Cosmetic needs). This though involves significant tooth removal for "un-restored" virgin teeth and is very "invasive" to body tissues compared to the well established tooth bleaching techniques we have today. However, some types of Crowns or Veneers may be a good choice if the teeth are already filled or root-filled or need repositioning or re-shaping as well as whitening. Look at our "patient information" page for further alternatives to ask your Dentist or Specialist about. Just click the "home" button below.

Our Conclusions:

Professionally applied tooth whitening BY DENTISTS is safe, effective, saves good tooth from being "drilled" away unneccessarily and is an easy and more dependable way to lighten your teeth and improve your smile. It is a very popular form of treatment which literally the public are banging on Dentists doors and asking for! There are some disadvantages (only lightens tooth substance) and side-effects (temporary sensitivity) and it may not work for everyone. However, you may feel it is worth persuing because it still leaves all other treatment options open (Veneers, Ceramic Crowns etc.) and works well for many cases. Although there is some "legal" controversy in the UK about tooth bleaching, Dentists are obliged to act in patients "best" interests and within patients "Human Rights", also protected in European law. Thus, "denying" a safe and effective "tooth-bleaching" treatment could breach a patients "Human rights", when a "lesser" European law is in the process of being changed to "allow" UK tooth-bleaching anyway! It seems that the DTI and the DoH recognise this, as they have continually allowed and observed UK Dentists offering tooth-bleaching, without challenge, for the last decade or so in the UK. Clearly tooth-bleaching saves good tooth from being drilled away for veneers or crowns when patients only need/want whiter teeth, as well as greatly improving self-confidence and psychological well being. Dentists treat the "whole" person and do a thorough examination before deciding if tooth bleaching is clinically appropriate. That is why you MUST always seek a Professional Dentist or Specialist opinion first!
Remember too that over the counter products are generally much weaker than Professionally applied products, for safety/overdose reasons. Be very sceptical of the marketing "hype" and exagerated claims that often follow these "shop" or "magazine" based products. They are simply too "weak" to actually "whiten" tooth substance well. They may just remove surface staining though and thus claim a "whitening" effect - Professionally supervised treatments are Best. Generally, Dentist prescribed "same-day" tooth bleaching give the quickest, best results with the least sensitivity (because they protect/isolate the gums), tray gel systems are the next best , with several different concentrations available, depending on how quickly one wants the results, remembering that any "temporary" sensitivity may last for the whole treatment time (weeks?)and for 48 hours afterwards!
However, nothing beats our 1 hour Bleaching system from the USA, which can make your teeth TWICE as bright, in only 1 hour or so !!!

Which would you prefer?

The above shows shade change of D3 left picture) to B1 (right picture) in one hour at our Smile Specialist Centre - ask any Dentist, that's a great result !!!

For only £99 for our Cosmetic Consultation fee, you can have a Specialist Opinion about the best way to improve your Smile, with all modern options (including alternative non-bleaching treatments) and costings given, so you can decide what is best for you, before proceding with any treatment.
If you feel that you would like other Cosmetic or Plastic Surgery, Lip Collagen Implants, Botox, Liposuction, Eye, Chin or Nose Surgery etc, we can arrange this for you too. However, we would always suggest that you have tooth bleaching first, especially our USA Britesmile system. You may just find that the improvement is so great, that you may not need other Cosmetic Surgery treatments!

We treat patients and teach our techniques to Professionals from Leeds, Bradford, Yorkshire, north, west, south, east, Manchester, Central london, Preston, York, Stockport, Sheffield, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Halifax, Keighley, Haworth, London, M25, Skipton, Harrogate, Airedale, Calderdale, Wokingham, Kew, Kent, Derbyshire, Bristol, Berkshire, Cheshire, Birmingham, Newcastle, Hull, Lincoln, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Northern, Midlands, Eire, Greater Manchester, Chester, Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, Nottingham, Leicester, Coventry, Stoke, Oldham, Bury, Blackburn, Cumbria, Liverpool, Teeside, South East, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dublin, Belfast, Europe, USA , Australia and Japan too.

As always, only your Dentist or Specialist can give individual advice for your particular clinical needs.

*Dr.Kilcoyne is a recognised Dental Specialist for any aspects of Cosmetic Dentistry that includes Crowns, Veneers, Bridges, Implant work and fillings (Prosthodontics).


Please note: Disclaimer - All information on this site is purely for general interest only - you should always seek external "independent" advice before acting upon ANYTHING published on this site. Thankyou!

En Francais:
Pour la dent blanchissant ou blanchiment cosmétique des dents pour un normal, un beau sourire plus blanc, rien bat notre système de blanchissement de puissance douce américaine de Britesmile. Ayez un sourire plus blanc en seulement une heure - aucuns aiguilles, exercices ou bruit! aucuns plateaux incommodes. Veuillez téléphoner au R-U +44(0)1535 644005 pour le prix et promouvez l'information.

Auf Deutsch:
Für bleichenden oder Cosmetic Weiß werden Zahn den der Zähne für ein natürliches, schlägt weißeres schönes Lächeln, nichts unser amerikanische Britesmile leichte Energie bleichensystem. Haben Sie ein weißeres Lächeln in nur einer Stunde - keine Nadeln, Bohrgeräte oder Geräusche! keine ungünstigen Behälter. Telephonieren Sie bitte Großbritannien +44(0)1535 644005 für Preis und fördern Sie Informationen.

In Italiano:
Per il dente che candeggia o imbiancatura cosmetic dei denti per un naturale, il sorriso bello più bianco, niente batte il nostro sistema d'imbianchimento di alimentazione delicata americana di Britesmile. Abbia un sorriso più bianco in soltanto un'ora - nessun aghi, trivelli o rumore! nessun vassoi inopportuni. Telefoni prego il Regno Unito +44(0)1535 644005 per il prezzo ed avanzi le informazioni.

En Espanol:
Para el diente que blanquea o el blanquear cosmético de los dientes para un natural, una sonrisa hermosa más blanca, nada bate nuestro sistema que blanquea de la energía apacible americana de Britesmile. ¡Tenga una sonrisa más blanca en solamente una hora - ningunas agujas, taladros o ruido! ningunas bandejas incómodas. Llame por teléfono por favor Reino Unido +44(0)1535 644005 para el precio y fomente la información.

We also do Dental courses for the whole Practice team (Dentists, Nurses, Receptionists, Practice Managers, Hygienists, Dental Technicians etc.).
Dentists and their teams can Click Here for Dental Courses Now to follow the links for Dental Courses.
Do you have Gum disease, tartar or bad breath without knowing? Click here to avoid bad breath and gum diseases


To see our 2007 prices Comprehensively, just Click for our Prices Here (Please remember that we are Specialists!)
Alternatively click the "HOME" button below to explore other general information pages freely.....

 

Smile Specialists © 2006 powered by Webanywhere.