In-chair teeth whitening: what actually happens
One appointment, and most of it is preparation rather than whitening. Here is the sequence step by step, what the result realistically looks like, and who it does not suit.
The thing that surprises most people about in-chair whitening is how much of the appointment is not whitening.
The gel is on your teeth for a fraction of the time you are in the chair. Everything else is preparation, and the preparation is most of the reason the result is better than a kit from the chemist.
Here is the whole sequence.
Before the day: the check
Whitening is a cosmetic treatment and it works properly on healthy teeth. So the first thing is a look.
We are checking for decay, leaking or failing fillings, gum disease and recession. Gel reaching the inside of a tooth through a cavity is genuinely painful, and gel on exposed root surface is far more uncomfortable than on enamel. Neither of those is a reason you cannot whiten. They are reasons to do something first.
We also look at what is in your mouth already. Crowns, veneers and white fillings do not whiten. They stay exactly the shade they are. If you have any where they show, we plan the order around that, which usually means whitening first and matching any new work to the lighter shade afterwards.
And we look at why your teeth are the colour they are. Yellowish staining from food, drink, coffee and age generally responds well. Greyish discolouration is less predictable. A single dark tooth is usually dark for an internal reason and needs different treatment altogether.
If we think the result will be modest, we will say so before you pay rather than afterwards.
Step one: a clean first
Whitening gel cannot get through a layer of plaque and tartar. It will lighten the build-up rather than the tooth, which is how people end up with a patchy result.
So a scale and clean usually comes first. This step alone removes a fair amount of surface staining, and some people are pleased enough at that point to stop and think about it.
Step two: the starting shade goes on the record
Your current shade is matched against a guide and noted.
This is worth more than it sounds. Colour change is gradual and your eye adjusts to it, so without a record almost everybody underestimates how much their teeth moved. Having a starting point makes the result a measurement instead of a debate.
Step three: isolating the gums
This is the step a home kit cannot do, and it is the reason for most of the difference in comfort.
Your lips and cheeks are held back, and a protective barrier is placed along the gum line and set firm, so gel touches teeth and nothing else. It feels odd and it does not hurt.
If you have ever used a strip or a generic tray and had sore gums afterwards, this is exactly what was missing.
Step four: the gel
The gel goes on in several shorter rounds rather than one long one, with fresh gel each time. Some systems use a light at this stage. The gel does the work.
Between rounds we check how you are going. If you are getting twinges, we can shorten the rounds or stop early, and stopping early still leaves you with a result.
You wear protective eyewear throughout, which is why it is the picture at the top of this article. Most people listen to something or simply sit.
Step five: the shade goes on the record again
Same guide, same light, so the change is measured the same way it was at the start.
Step six: the take-home trays
Our $399 treatment includes custom trays, and they are not an add-on for the sake of it.
The in-chair session does the heavy lifting in one appointment. The trays are how you keep it. Rather than paying for a full treatment again in a couple of years, you top up occasionally at home with gel that fits your own teeth properly.
We show you how much gel to use, how long to wear them, and how often. More is not better here, and over-wearing is the main way people give themselves unnecessary sensitivity.
The first two days
Teeth take up colour more readily than usual for a day or two afterwards, so it is worth avoiding coffee, tea, red wine, curry, soy sauce and anything strongly coloured during that window.
Some sensitivity to cold is normal and settles. If you know your teeth are already sensitive, tell us at the start. We can use desensitising paste beforehand and run shorter rounds, which works much better than dealing with it afterwards.
Making it last
How long it holds depends mostly on you.
Coffee, tea, red wine and dark sauces bring the colour back sooner, and smoking is the fastest way to undo it. Rinsing with water after staining drinks helps. So does a straw for dark cold drinks. So does keeping up your regular cleans, because fresh surface staining is removed before it settles in.
With the trays, most people find a short top-up now and then keeps things where they want them.
The cost, plainly
$399, against a $599 value, including the in-chair session and take-home trays. It is claimable on most health funds with extras cover, and we claim on the spot.
A check-up and clean, if you need one first, is a fixed $249.
Read more: Whitening kits vs professional whitening: what you actually get
Cosmetic dentistry FAQ
How long does the appointment take?
Allow up to about an hour and a half, though it varies. A good deal of that is setting up: checking the teeth, recording the starting shade, and isolating the gums. The gel is applied in several shorter rounds rather than one long one.
Does it hurt?
It should not, though some people feel short sharp twinges during the session and sensitivity to cold for a day or two afterwards. Tell us if you already know your teeth are sensitive, because we can prepare for it rather than react to it, with desensitising paste beforehand and shorter rounds of gel.
How much whiter will my teeth actually go?
That depends on where they start and why they are that colour. Yellowish staining from food, drink and age generally responds well. Greyish discolouration responds less predictably. We record your starting shade so the change is measured rather than argued about, and we will tell you before we start if we think the result will be modest.
Can I eat normally afterwards?
For the first day or two, teeth take up colour more readily than usual, so it is worth avoiding coffee, tea, red wine, curry and dark sauces during that window. After that, normal eating with sensible habits.
What if I have crowns or veneers at the front?
They will not change colour, so we plan around them. Sometimes that means whitening first and matching new work to the lighter shade afterwards. Occasionally it means whitening is not the right treatment for your case, and we would rather tell you that than take your money.
