Tooth Whitening at Durham City Smiles

Tooth Whitening has been an emotive subject for many years, with the dental authorities not willing to step down off the fence and make a definitive ruling as to which chemicals are allowed to be used in the mouth and at what strength. For that reason, and due to the belief that high concentration peroxide damages dental enamel, Graeme has never been a fan of whitening.

However, a recent ruling that Hydrogen Peroxide at no more than 6% and Carbamide Peroxide (a gentler alternative) at no more than 16% may be used in the mouth ONLY by dentally qualified personnel, has now clarified the situation.

Tooth Whitening at Durham City Smiles

At Durham City Smiles, we use a system whereby we take impressions of the teeth and our technician, Eddie Lowerson, makes custom made trays to fit precisely each individual mouth. The patient is then shown how to load these trays and given precise instructions as to their use. The active ingredient is 10% Carbamide Peroxide which we source from a well established British dental supply firm called Optident, based in Yorkshire. This gives us security in the knowledge that our product is what it says it is “on the tin”. Some products can be bought on the internet, but we strenuously discourage this for precisely the reason that we use Optident.

The tray system may not have the instant appeal of some of the “Zoom” or “Britesmile” laser whitening systems, but we believe that it is kinder to your teeth, giving less sensitivity and overall, a better longer lasting result.

Our usual fee for tray whitening is £300 for upper and lower jaws, but this month (October 2011) we have a special offer of £250, so if you are interested, please ring Gill or Gail on 0191 3844447 for an appointment with either Graeme Dentith or Stuart Cox, because at Durham City Smiles, only a qualified dentist will undertake your whitening procedures.