Teeth whitening in Palafrugell: what to expect

How whitening actually works

The whitening gel contains hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. Once in contact with the tooth, the peroxide passes through the enamel and reaches the dentine, where it breaks down the pigmented molecules built up over the years by coffee, tea, red wine or tobacco. The result is a lighter tooth without anything having been filed or worn away.

For it to work properly, your mouth needs to be healthy. We check everything first and, if needed, carry out a hygiene appointment: decay, inflamed gums or a cracked filling are dealt with beforehand. Whitening an inflamed mouth simply means more sensitivity and a patchier result.

In the chair or at home with trays

There are two routes and both work; we often combine them to get the best of each.

• In the chair: a high-concentration gel applied by us with the gums protected, in one or two appointments of around forty-five minutes. The change shows straight away.
• At home: custom-made clear trays and a low-concentration gel worn for a few hours a day or overnight, for ten to fifteen days. More gradual, and usually less sensitivity.
• Combined: one appointment here to get going, then trays at home to finish lifting the shade and for top-ups later on.
• A root-treated tooth that has darkened is whitened from the inside, using a different technique.

What will not whiten

Peroxide only acts on natural tooth tissue. Anything man-made will keep exactly the colour it already has, and this is where most of the surprises come from.

• Crowns, veneers and bridges, whether ceramic or resin.
• Composite fillings, particularly those on the front teeth.
• Very dark tetracycline staining or marked fluorosis, which respond slowly and unevenly.
• A tooth affected by an old injury may end up a different shade from its neighbours.

Sensitivity and the shades you can expect

Sensitivity is the most common side effect and the most misunderstood: it appears during treatment or just afterwards as short, sharp twinges with cold, and it usually settles within a day or two. It is well controlled by spacing the applications out, using a sensitive toothpaste in the days beforehand and applying fluoride or potassium nitrate gels.

As for the result, most people gain between two and four shades on the colour guide, which is clearly visible in before-and-after photographs. Yellow teeth respond better than greyish ones, and younger patients tend to see more change. What whitening does not do is leave a flat, opaque white: the tooth keeps its natural translucency.

Keeping the result and avoiding unsupervised products

The result is not permanent. With good habits it usually lasts between one and three years, and it can be refreshed with a couple of nights in the trays once it starts to fade. These are the measures that help most:

• For the first few days, avoid coffee, tea, red wine, beetroot, turmeric and dark sauces.
• Give up tobacco, or at the very least do not smoke during the treatment.
• Drink water after coffee and use a straw with cola drinks.
• Keep to the hygiene appointments we have recommended for you.
• Hold on to your trays: an annual top-up costs far less than starting over.

Why supervision matters, and how to book

Online kits, activated charcoal and bicarbonate are a poor bargain. The kits carry unpredictable concentrations and pH along with one-size-fits-all trays that let gel leak onto the gums; the powders do not whiten at all, they abrade enamel and leave the tooth looking yellower in the long run. European rules restrict genuinely effective concentrations to dental professionals for exactly that reason.

If you would like to know what result is realistic in your case, call us on 972 30 65 64 or write through the contact form. At the first appointment we record your starting shade, check your fillings and gums and tell you what to expect before anything begins.