Glo Teeth Whitening
A beautiful, healthy smile has the power to change your life and make you light up - inside and out! Let’s talk about professional ways to brighten up your smile!
The human desire to whiten teeth has been around for a long time - the Ancient Romans used urine and goat milk to whiten their teeth! However, our teeth are not naturally completely white. The natural colour is usually within a range of light grey to yellow. And, unfortunately, teeth also darken with age and their appearance can be affected by the accumulation of surface stains from drinking coffee and red wine, smoking as well as certain other foods and medications.
As a result, many people want a brighter smile. In response to this desire, a wide range of "whitening" options have become available to consumers.
How whitening works
Most whitening products (other than toothpaste and rinses) available from dentists or drugstores contain either hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide as their active ingredient. Hydrogen peroxide is the actual whitening agent, while carbamide peroxide breaks down into hydrogen peroxide.
The whitening products you can get from a dentist are much stronger than those purchased over-the-counter (OTC). Whiteners used by dentists may have as much as 35% to 45% peroxide, while the OTC whitening kits such as whitening strips or trays usually have just 7% peroxide.
Whitening products work by removing both surface and deep stains in the tooth enamel and can cause teeth to become even lighter than their natural shade.
Safety of whitening products
The safety of whitening products is monitored by the Canadian and American Dental Associations (ADA). In general, clinical research has shown that both OTC, take-home and in-office whitening products are safe and usually effective methods to whiten your teeth. Whitening does not cause significant changes in tooth enamel, however it may produce temporary, minor side effects such as tooth sensitivity and irritation to your gums.
Are you a candidate for whitening?
The best candidates for whitening are people with only mild to moderate tooth discolouration. The bad news is, there are certain types of discolouration and other dental or medical conditions that may reduce the chances that tooth whitening will work for you. These include:
- Porcelain veneers, dental crowns, caps, fillings, or dental bonding on the front teeth will not whiten. You may have to replace them with new crowns or veneers if you want the teeth to appear whiter.
- Yellow teeth usually whiten well, however, brown teeth may not whiten as much. Teeth with grey tones, white spots, or discolouration from a "dead" tooth may not whiten at all.
- Some conditions such as sensitive teeth, worn enamel, bruxism or TMJ problems may worsen with some types of whitening procedures. Consult your dentist.
- Home tooth whitening is not as effective if tooth discolouration is caused by medications or a tooth injury.
Your dentist will determine the cause of your tooth discolouration and help you decide what the best whitening option is for you.
Whitening methods and products
There are wide variety of different whitening techniques and products available for patients today. These include over-the-counter products (whitening toothpastes, rinses, gels, strips and trays) as well as whitening methods offered by your dentist such as in-office whitening, take-home whitening trays and “non-vital” bleaching for teeth that darken after root canal treatment.
The method that will work best for you will depend on a number of factors including:
- How badly your teeth are discoloured
- How many teeth need to be whitened
- Your whitening expectations
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GLO Whitening
At Viva Dental Victoria, we offer our patients several options for teeth whitening. We have specifically chosen GLO Science products (link) for their methods, effectiveness, and the lack of sensitivity that is often experienced with some of the popular laser and light whitening systems used today.
GLO In-office Whitening
The GLO in-office whitening system uses a professional-strength whitening gel in a special tray designed for speed, efficiency and safety. The GLO tray combines warming heat and light in a special mouthpiece to activate the professional strength whitening gel. The light and heat optimize the effects of hydrogen peroxide whitener without causing sensitivity.
This procedure involves several eight-minute applications of the gel in the tray to whiten the top and bottom teeth simultaneously. The GLO procedure creates a whiter smile in under an hour, without pain!
The GLO system has eliminated the sensitivity that is often experienced
with some of the popular “laser” whitening systems used today.
After the in-office whitening treatment is complete, you will be sent home with GLO vials containing professional-strength whitening gel that can be brushed on at home to help you maintain the beauty of your new smile.
GLO take-home whitening
You can also whiten your teeth in the comfort of your own home with the GLO take-home whitening system. This system is similar to the in-office whitening but for safety reasons it contains a lower concentration gel than the one used in the office. The GLO take-home whitening system can be used as a full whitening treatment or to maintain your in-office results between visits.
All GLO products are available only from your dentist.