Prior to having your teeth whitening treatment, your dentist will complete a thorough examination and determine whether teeth whitening is a suitable treatment option for you. There are some restrictions, however:
Legally you must be 18 or older.
If you have gum disease or other dental concerns, your dentist may suggest that teeth whitening will not be suitable until you've received further treatment.
If you have de-calcifications (white spots) on your teeth, these might become more noticeable after whitening. We can address this with treatments, such as ICON, which uses a filling material to help reduce the appearance of white spots.
Teeth whitening is not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Similarly, certain health problems, such as allergies, may mean that teeth whitening is not suitable.
If you have deep intrinsic staining (e.g., from tetracycline) may be less effective.
Teeth whitening treatment will only work on natural teeth. Artificial teeth, implants, crowns, bridges, fillings and veneers can't be whitened in the same way. Sometimes these can be replaced after treatment to match your new brighter smile.
It's important that during the pre-treatment consultation you understand the need and cost for additional treatment to replace crowns, veneers and fillings.
If you are considering crowns, veneers, dentures etc. then talk to your dentist about whitening at the start of treatment. It is much easier to whiten the natural teeth first and then match any other restorations or replacement teeth to the natural whitened teeth.