Teeth whitening
Certain foods, and drinks such as coffee, tea, wine and unhealthy habits such as smoking, can over time leave stains on the teeth or cause darkening of the entire tooth, leaving an unappealing look to your smile. A smile like this tends to stay hidden, its wearer more reticent in communication, and this all impacts self-confidence. Today this problem can be painlessly, quickly and easily remedied through teeth-whitening.
Whitening is an dental aesthetic procedure to alter the colour of the tooth so that it is several shades lighter, an easy way to roll back the years and improve your looks!
The procedure is performed after a detailed examination in the surgery and under the supervision of a dentist. The whitening effect lasts around 2 years and, more importantly, is completely harmless to the health of your teeth. There are two whitening methods we recommend to patients: at-home and in-surgery.
At-home teeth whitening
If the whitening procedure is to be done at home, individual splints are first made in the surgery from an impression taken of the patient’s teeth.
The splints, made separately for the lower and upper jaw, are designed to to be used at home by the patient. You simply place the whitening gel in them and keep them in your mouth, usually overnight, for 6-8 hours. The procedure is repeated daily for approximately 10 days.
This whitening process takes longer than in-surgery whitening, but the results are longer-lasting.
In-surgery teeth whitening
In-surgery teeth whitening is done in the dentist’s surgery in a single session and takes around 45 minutes. Using this method the teeth can be whitened by between 1 and 3 shades. The results are visible immediately after the treatment, and the procedure can also be repeated over several sessions.
In this method, a protective gel is spread on the gums (gingivae) and then a hydrogen peroxide-based whitening gel is applied to the teeth.
The difference between in-surgery teeth whitening and home whitening is the concentration of the active substance in the gel. In home whitening the concentration is lower and so the procedure takes somewhat longer, but the results are also longer lasting.
Before and after whitening
Teeth whitening is a procedure that will make teeth whiter and more attractive, and your smile more appealing, but it will not make them healthier. That is why we also recommend that you first have any tooth repair, or implants to replace missing teeth, if you need them, before embarking on whitening. Then your teeth will really shine!
To maximise the effect of teeth whitening, teeth hygiene must afterwards be maintained by brushing and cleaning inaccessible areas with floss or an interdental toothbrush. This should be coupled with efforts towards a healthy lifestyle.
Hyaluronic fillers
Ageing is a natural process whereby our body changes over the years.
As we age, the most visible changes happen to our skin. Down through the ages people have always sought to slow the process in various ways. In order to preserve the look of her skin, Cleopatra famously bathed in milk. Leeches were used in the attempt to restore a youthful appearance. In ancient China, they tried to fight wrinkles with fire. These days we do not have to go to such extreme lengths to restore volume to our skin.
A key role in maintaining beauty is played by hyaluronic acid. Its job is to bind to water and thus retain it in the skin, making it taut and smooth. The skin of the face and neck see the most exposure from the elements and are therefore most likely to suffer. Over time the skin loses elasticity, becomes dry and prone to wrinkling, and the lips become thinner. In modern times, due to stress and poor lifestyle habits, the ageing process has accelerated and the skin begins to lose hyaluronic acid even at the age of twenty-five.
Wrinkles and deteriorating facial muscle tone begin when the skin starts to lose its reserves of hyaluronan. This type of dehydration leads to loss of skin volume, wrinkles appear and the skin takes on a tired and dehydrated appearance.
The ageing process cannot unfortunately be stopped, but high-quality anti-ageing techniques can slow it and lessen the consequences.
Hyaluronan is a natural component of our skin which gives tone and volume, keeping it flexible and fresh.
Applying hyaluronic acid fillers to wrinkles, which compensate for the deficiency of this compound in the skin tissues, is a painless and non-invasive method for restoring a youthful and fresh appearance to the skin and facial contours.
Modern hyaluronic fillers exactly imitate the natural hyaluronan found in the skin. They have a stimulative effect on the surrounding tissues, toning the skin, hydrating it and giving it a more pronounced volume than it had before the filling.
Hyaluronic fillers are a great choice if you want to regain a youthful and fresh facial appearance.
Skin treated with hyaluronic acid fillers is slower to form new wrinkles – the filler has a beneficial effect on the surrounding tissues and the effects of the treatment are visible for nine months.
At our surgery we will provide you with professional filling services for:
- the nasolabial folds – those running from your nose to your lips (‘smile lines’),
- the marionette lines – the creases that run down to your chin from the corners of your mouth,
- correcting the lines around your upper and lower lips,
- correcting asymmetry in the lower third of your face,
- enlarging the lips and emphasising the countours of the lips.
We use hyaluronic fillers of the latest generation under local anaesthetic. Treatment is painless, last only 30-45 minutes, and after it you can return to your normal everyday activities. The risk of complications is minimal and the effects are visible immediately.
