At Prairie Mall Dental Clinic, our dentists love helping your smile look its best. We offer both in-office and take-home whitening options to help our Grande Prairie patients reverse the effects of aging and lighten their teeth.
What is Professional Teeth Whitening?
Professional teeth whitening allows your dentist to safely and effectively lighten the colour of your teeth.
With age, food and other substances can leave behind lasting discolouration and unsightly stains. Food particles are naturally attracted to a tooth's enamel, and food and beverages such as coffee, tea and berries are known to cause staining.
During the teeth whitening process, your dentist will use bleaching agents to reverse effects of staining and aging, and lighten the colour of your teeth.
Teeth Whitening in Grande Prairie: Our Process
Peroxide-based bleaching agents are used in teeth whitening solutions to lighten the colour of your teeth. Oxygen reaches the tooth enamel as the active ingredient breaks down to create the whitening effect.
In-Office Teeth Whitening in Grande Prairie
At our dental clinic, in-office teeth whitening is about a two-hour process. To begin, your gums are protected with a barrier before your dentist applies a thin layer of gel, which activates chemically on each tooth. This process is repeated a few times until we achieve the desired shade of white.
Take-Home Teeth Whitening
Want to whiten your teeth in the comfort and convenience of your home? Take advantage of the at-home teeth whitening options at Prairie Mall Dental Clinic. Our dentists create custom whitening trays specifically for your smile and provide you with detailed instructions to follow during the course of your treatment.
Teeth Whitening FAQs
These are the most frequently asked questions about teeth whitening we receive from our patients at Prairie Mall Dental Clinic.
- How long do the effects of teeth whitening last?
Teeth whitening is a non-permanent solution to whiten your smile.
The whiteness will likely start to fade after a few months if your teeth are continually exposed to food and drinks which cause staining.
If you avoid these foods and beverages following your teeth whitening treatment, you may not need a touchup for about a year.
- Does teeth whitening make teeth more sensitive?
One short-term side effect to teeth whitening may be sensitivity. For most patients, this should fade away within a few days following your whitening session.
To reduce any discomfort, we recommend using an anti-sensitivity toothpaste before treatment and for at least two weeks following your treatment.
- Do teeth whitening products work on all stains?
No. We have found that teeth whitening treatments have the most positive effect on brown and yellow-coloured stains.
Blue, grey and purple-coloured stains tend not to respond to whitening at all. If your teeth have these types of stains, you may be a better fit for cosmetic treatments such as dental crowns or veneers.
- Does teeth whitening work on dental restorations?
No. Teeth whitening only works on natural teeth. It is not effective on existing dental restorations such as dental crowns or veneers.
If crowns are veneers are included in your treatment plan, teeth whitening should happen before your dental restorations are placed.
- Will teeth whitening damage my tooth enamel?
If a qualified dentist supervises your teeth whitening, it is very unlikely this process will damage your dental enamel.
Always discuss any teeth whitening products you are considering using with your dentist to ensure you are using them safely.
- Does insurance cover the cost of teeth whitening?
The cost of teeth whitening is not usually covered by dental insurance as it is a purely cosmetic procedure, with no health benefits to your teeth.