bleaching teeth

How long does the treatment take?
The treatment itself lasts around 1½ hours. We always conduct a comprehensive consultation beforehand, in which we examine your teeth and estimate the result you can expect to achieve. We also look at the results with you after treatment. In total, you’ll be with us for around 2 hours.

How does the treatment work?
Prior to treatment, you will be asked to complete a registration form, after which you will receive a comprehensive examination. If you wish to undergo treatment after this consultation, your lips will first be covered with a protective gel and a dental mouth prop will be used to separate your lips a little. Your gums will be covered with a protective layer, your teeth will be given a preliminary treatment and a whitening gel will be applied. This takes around 30 minutes. The plasma lamp will then be focused on your teeth for 60 minutes, during which the whitening gel will be retouched or replaced every 15 minutes. In the meantime, you can relax and watch TV. After treatment we need just a few more minutes to remove the substance from your teeth and then you can immediately view the results in the mirror.

Do I need to lie with my mouth open for 1½ hours?
During the treatment, a dental mouth prop will be inserted in your mouth. This is only there to keep your lips away from your teeth. It is not meant to hold the jaws open and it doesn’t feel as though an impression is being made. It is just a thin strip that passes between the molars and we advise you to relax the upper and lower jaws during treatment. We know from experience that everyone can manage this. Should someone become anxious about this, then we would first and very carefully try out how the mouth prop feels before we begin treatment.

Can I eat and drink everything again after treatment?
We advise you not to eat or drink anything, except water, for the first 2 to 3 hours after treatment. After this, you can eat and drink most things, except those that contain a high level of colourings, such as coffee, tea, red wine, cola, red cabbage and tomato ketchup. This applies to the rest of the day. In addition, it is better to refrain from smoking on the day on which treatment has taken place. The following morning, you can eat and drink everything as normal and, if necessary, smoke again.

Does the treatment hurt?
With various teeth-bleaching methods, sensitivity can sometimes occur. At The White Smile Company®, we rule this out by working with special substances and the most advanced treatment techniques. During treatment, a certain time is needed to blow dry the teeth with air. For people with seriously exposed tooth necks, this can cause some sensitivity for a moment. It lasts only a few seconds and will be announced beforehand.

What happens to my gums during treatment?
Your gums are covered during treatment with a protective layer, a so-called “cofferdam”. This is first applied in fluid form to your gums and is then hardened with a special lamp. This happens in various stages, during which the gums and any exposed tooth necks are extremely carefully covered precisely around the teeth. At many (dentist) clinics this is not conducted carefully or sometimes not at all, which can lead to sensitivity and irritation of the gums and tooth necks. At our clinic this possibility is excluded completely, because we work very carefully and take plenty of time for this.

Do I need to take anything into account prior to the treatment?
No, you don’t need to take anything into account prior to the treatment; you may eat and drink everything as usual. It is sensible to eat well prior to treatment, because this is not possible for the first few hours after treatment.

Is one treatment sufficient?
Yes. One treatment is always sufficient to achieve the maximum possible result for your teeth. Even with stubborn discolouration, such as that caused by tetracycline, the treatment is so effective that all discolouration is removed in one treatment. Following one treatment, your natural teeth cannot become lighter in colour and thus, there is no point in having a second treatment within a few years, even using a different bleaching method.