Search for teeth whitening online and you will find charcoal powders, strips, pens and kits promising a Hollywood smile in a week, most of which do very little beyond removing surface staining. Professional teeth whitening in Market Harborough, done properly and supervised by a dentist, is a different matter, and it remains one of the safest, most effective ways to noticeably brighten your smile. This post explains how it actually works, what results you can realistically expect, and why the supermarket shelf version so rarely matches up.
Whitening gel contains a peroxide compound that breaks down staining molecules trapped within the structure of the tooth, rather than simply polishing the surface, which is what most whitening toothpastes do. This is why professional whitening can lighten teeth by several shades, while a whitening toothpaste mostly just prevents new surface staining from building up.
At Brookside Dental, we take an impression or scan of your teeth to make custom fitted trays that sit precisely over your teeth and hold the gel in contact with the enamel without spilling onto your gums, which is the main cause of the sensitivity people worry about with home kits bought elsewhere.
We are recognised as a centre of excellence for two of the more established professional systems, Enlighten and Lumiwhite, which means our team has additional training and experience specifically in these techniques rather than offering a single generic whitening option. Which system suits you best usually comes down to your starting shade, your sensitivity and how quickly you want to see results, and we will talk through the options at your consultation rather than defaulting to whichever is easiest for us.
In the UK, the legal concentration of peroxide allowed in over the counter products is capped much lower than what a dentist is permitted to use under supervision, because higher concentrations carry a real risk of gum irritation and enamel damage if used incorrectly. Many of the kits sold online from outside the UK ignore this limit entirely, and some contain little genuine whitening agent at all, meaning you are essentially paying for a slightly abrasive mouth tray.
There is also the fit problem. A generic, one size tray will always let gel leak onto your gums, which can cause soreness, and it will whiten unevenly because it does not sit snugly against every tooth.
We check your teeth and gums are healthy enough for whitening first; active decay, gum disease or exposed roots all need addressing before we start, and existing crowns or veneers will not change colour, which matters if you have visible restorations at the front of your mouth. You can arrange this through a free consultation.
Most patients are given custom trays to use at home over one to two weeks, wearing the gel for a set period each day as instructed, which gives more control over the final shade than a single in surgery session and tends to be gentler on sensitivity.
Pricing depends on the whitening system used and is confirmed at your consultation; current guide prices are available on our cost of treatment page. We also offer payment plans for anyone combining whitening with other cosmetic work such as composite bonding or veneers.
Results commonly last anywhere from six months to around three years, largely depending on habits. Coffee, red wine, curry and smoking are the biggest culprits for staining returning faster, so cutting back on these, or rinsing with water afterwards, will noticeably extend how long your results hold.
We see plenty of patients from Corby, Rugby and Kettering combine a whitening appointment with their routine dental hygiene clean, since a professional clean beforehand often improves the final whitening result by removing surface plaque first.
If you are tired of whitening toothpaste that does very little, book a free consultation at our Market Harborough practice and we will tell you honestly what result you can expect and what it will cost.
Yes, when supervised by a dentist using custom trays and a legally permitted concentration of gel. The main risks, gum irritation and sensitivity, are largely down to gel leaking onto the gums from an ill fitting tray, which custom trays are designed to prevent.
No. Whitening gel only changes the colour of natural tooth enamel, so any existing crowns, veneers or white fillings at the front of your mouth will stay the same shade while the surrounding natural teeth lighten. This is worth discussing at your consultation if you have visible restorations.
This varies by person and by how stained your teeth were to begin with, but several shades of visible improvement is common with professional whitening. We can give a more specific expectation once we have seen your teeth.
Some patients experience temporary sensitivity to hot or cold during or shortly after treatment, which usually settles within a day or two. Custom trays and dentist supervised concentrations make this far less likely than with generic home whitening kits.
Search for teeth whitening online and you will find charcoal powders, strips, pens and kits promising a Hollywood smile in a week, most of which do very little beyond removing surface staining. Professional teeth whitening in Market Harborough, done properly and supervised by a dentist, is a different matter, and it remains one of the safest, most effective ways to noticeably brighten your smile. This post explains how it actually works, what results you can realistically expect, and why the supermarket shelf version so rarely matches up.
Whitening gel contains a peroxide compound that breaks down staining molecules trapped within the structure of the tooth, rather than simply polishing the surface, which is what most whitening toothpastes do. This is why professional whitening can lighten teeth by several shades, while a whitening toothpaste mostly just prevents new surface staining from building up.
At Brookside Dental, we take an impression or scan of your teeth to make custom fitted trays that sit precisely over your teeth and hold the gel in contact with the enamel without spilling onto your gums, which is the main cause of the sensitivity people worry about with home kits bought elsewhere.
We are recognised as a centre of excellence for two of the more established professional systems, Enlighten and Lumiwhite, which means our team has additional training and experience specifically in these techniques rather than offering a single generic whitening option. Which system suits you best usually comes down to your starting shade, your sensitivity and how quickly you want to see results, and we will talk through the options at your consultation rather than defaulting to whichever is easiest for us.
In the UK, the legal concentration of peroxide allowed in over the counter products is capped much lower than what a dentist is permitted to use under supervision, because higher concentrations carry a real risk of gum irritation and enamel damage if used incorrectly. Many of the kits sold online from outside the UK ignore this limit entirely, and some contain little genuine whitening agent at all, meaning you are essentially paying for a slightly abrasive mouth tray.
There is also the fit problem. A generic, one size tray will always let gel leak onto your gums, which can cause soreness, and it will whiten unevenly because it does not sit snugly against every tooth.
We check your teeth and gums are healthy enough for whitening first; active decay, gum disease or exposed roots all need addressing before we start, and existing crowns or veneers will not change colour, which matters if you have visible restorations at the front of your mouth. You can arrange this through a free consultation.
Most patients are given custom trays to use at home over one to two weeks, wearing the gel for a set period each day as instructed, which gives more control over the final shade than a single in surgery session and tends to be gentler on sensitivity.
Pricing depends on the whitening system used and is confirmed at your consultation; current guide prices are available on our cost of treatment page. We also offer payment plans for anyone combining whitening with other cosmetic work such as composite bonding or veneers.
Results commonly last anywhere from six months to around three years, largely depending on habits. Coffee, red wine, curry and smoking are the biggest culprits for staining returning faster, so cutting back on these, or rinsing with water afterwards, will noticeably extend how long your results hold.
We see plenty of patients from Corby, Rugby and Kettering combine a whitening appointment with their routine dental hygiene clean, since a professional clean beforehand often improves the final whitening result by removing surface plaque first.
If you are tired of whitening toothpaste that does very little, book a free consultation at our Market Harborough practice and we will tell you honestly what result you can expect and what it will cost.
Yes, when supervised by a dentist using custom trays and a legally permitted concentration of gel. The main risks, gum irritation and sensitivity, are largely down to gel leaking onto the gums from an ill fitting tray, which custom trays are designed to prevent.
No. Whitening gel only changes the colour of natural tooth enamel, so any existing crowns, veneers or white fillings at the front of your mouth will stay the same shade while the surrounding natural teeth lighten. This is worth discussing at your consultation if you have visible restorations.
This varies by person and by how stained your teeth were to begin with, but several shades of visible improvement is common with professional whitening. We can give a more specific expectation once we have seen your teeth.
Some patients experience temporary sensitivity to hot or cold during or shortly after treatment, which usually settles within a day or two. Custom trays and dentist supervised concentrations make this far less likely than with generic home whitening kits.
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