My Family Dental Teeth Whitening in Innisfail
In-chair and custom take-home whitening at our Innisfail clinic, starting with a look at what is actually causing the colour
In-chair
Philips Zoom and Pola Office
Take-home trays
Custom-made to your teeth, not off a shelf
One dark tooth
Internal bleaching done here
Check-up first
Decay and gum health sorted before gel goes on
Teeth pick up colour over a lifetime of coffee, tea, red wine and everything else, and professional whitening lifts a good deal of that back off. Both the in-chair and the take-home options are available in Innisfail, without a trip to Cairns for either of them.
Two Ways to Do It
In the chair. One appointment at Innisfail, with the gum protected and a stronger gel than anything sold over a counter. We use Philips Zoom and Pola Office. This is the option for people who want it done and finished rather than managed at home.
At home, in trays we make for you. We take impressions, the laboratory makes trays that fit your teeth exactly, and you wear them with gel for a set period each day over a couple of weeks. We use Boutique Whitening, Pola Day and Pola Night, Opalescence. It takes longer, it is gentler, and you keep the trays, which matters more than it sounds: colour comes back over time, and topping up with trays you already own is far easier than starting again.
Plenty of people do both, starting in the chair and holding it there at home. What we suggest comes out of looking at your teeth, not out of a package.
What Whitening Will Not Do
This is the part most whitening advertising leaves out, and it is the part that decides whether you end up happy.
- It does not change crowns, veneers, bridges or white fillings. They stay the shade they were made. If you have one at the front, whitening the teeth around it can make it stand out more, not less.
- It works on some stains and not others. Surface staining from food, drink and smoking responds well. Colour that comes from inside the tooth, from a knock, from a root canal or from certain medicines, is a different problem with different answers.
- It does not fix a tooth that is dark on its own. That is internal bleaching, and it is done from the inside of the tooth.
- It is not a substitute for a clean. A lot of what people call yellowing is build-up, and it comes off with a scale and polish rather than a gel.
If the colour you want cannot be reached by whitening, veneers are the honest next conversation, and we would rather have it before you spend money on the wrong thing.
Why We Look First
Whitening gel goes over whatever is already there. Put it over untreated decay, a leaking filling or inflamed gums and you get pain rather than a result. So the examination comes first: we check for decay, check the gums, and check what your existing fillings and crowns will look like next to lighter teeth. That is not an upsell, it is the difference between whitening working and whitening hurting.
Sensitivity during whitening is common and usually settles. Tell us if your teeth are already sensitive, because the concentration and the wear time can both be adjusted, and that conversation is worth having before you start.
The Single Dark Tooth
One tooth going darker than its neighbours, usually after a knock or a root canal, is a common and separate thing. It can often be lightened from the inside, which is internal bleaching, and it is available here at Innisfail. Whitening the outside of that tooth will not match it to the others, so it is worth having it assessed before you whiten anything.
Having It Done in Innisfail
In-chair whitening is one appointment at Innisfail, which is the whole treatment. Take-home trays need one visit for impressions and a second to collect them, and both of those happen in Innisfail. After that the whitening runs at home and the trays stay yours for topping up, which is the practical part if you live a long way from a dental chair.
What It Costs
The fee depends on whether you whiten in the chair, at home, or both, and you get a written quote after the examination so you have the figure before anything is booked. Whitening is a cosmetic treatment, so whether your health fund contributes depends on your policy: we check it at the desk through HICAPS. Payment plans are available if you would rather spread it, and there is more on our payment options page.
My Family Dental Innisfail
39 Rankin St, Innisfail QLD 4860
(07) 4061 8110
Important: Whitening results vary between individuals and depend on the cause of the discolouration. Tooth sensitivity and gum irritation are common side effects. Whitening is not suitable for everyone, and suitability can only be judged after an examination. Fees are confirmed in a written quote. Seek advice appropriate to your circumstances from a qualified health practitioner.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
In-chair is done in one appointment here at Innisfail and suits people who want it handled in a single visit. Take-home uses custom trays made from impressions of your teeth, worn for a set period each day over a couple of weeks, and it gives you the trays afterwards for topping up. Some people do both, starting in the chair and maintaining at home. Which one we suggest depends on your teeth, the kind of staining and how much time you want to give it.
No. Whitening lightens natural tooth enamel and has no effect on crowns, veneers, bridges or white fillings. If you have any of those at the front of your mouth, they will stay the shade they were made, which can leave them looking darker once the teeth around them lighten. This is worth knowing before you start rather than after, and it is one of the things we check at the examination.
It varies with what you eat and drink and whether you smoke. Coffee, tea, red wine and cola all put colour back. Take-home trays are the practical answer to that, because topping up occasionally is far less work than starting again. We are not going to give you a number of years, because nobody honestly can.
Whitening commonly causes some tooth sensitivity, usually short-lived, and some people get it more than others. Tell us if you already have sensitive teeth, because there are ways to manage it, including changing the concentration or the wear time. Gum irritation can happen too if gel sits on the gum, which is one reason take-home trays are made to fit your mouth rather than bought off a shelf.
Often yes, and it is a different treatment. A single tooth that has darkened after a knock or a root canal can sometimes be lightened from the inside, which is called internal bleaching. That is done here. Whitening from the outside will not fix that tooth, so it is worth having it looked at before you whiten the rest.
It depends on whether you have it in the chair, at home, or both. You get a written quote after the examination, before anything is booked. Whitening is cosmetic, so whether your health fund contributes depends on your policy, and we will check that with you at the desk.
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