Does Teeth Whitening Charcoal Work?

If you’ve heard of charcoal teeth whitening, you might be wondering whether it actually makes your pearly whites pearlier. Here’s all you need to know, in the words of a teeth whitening expert from Basildon.

It will come as no surprise that the state of our teeth has a direct and significant bearing on our confidence. According to a recent survey, more than 25% of the recipients admitted to not being happy with their teeth, with two-thirds admitting their teeth had an adverse effect on their self-esteem. This lack of confidence means we are less likely to smile for photographs, or we are inclined to hide our grins behind an embarrassed hand whenever we laugh. It’s remarkable how far-reaching the impact of stained teeth can be — it can influence everything from our love lives to our chances of landing a dream job.

Over the past ten years, teeth whitening has become a global industry. It seems not a day goes by without a new product claiming to rejuvenate and brighten your teeth — the solutions range from DIY home kits to oil pulling.

Given the boom in popularity regarding activated charcoal teeth whitening, we thought we’d compile everything you need to know about the famous black paste and discuss whether it’s too good to be true, or whether it’s worth a try.

 What Is Teeth Whitening?

Tooth whitening involves lightening teeth while removing stains and discolouration. Dental teeth whitening is one of the most popular cosmetic dental procedures around today for one big reason — whitening can seriously improve your overall appearance. Teeth whitening can give back the appearance of healthy young teeth in no time at all. Having said this, it isn’t a one-off procedure. To keep your teeth looking bright and white, it needs to be a repeat procedure and you will need to take good care of your teeth between visits to your dentist.

What Is Charcoal Teeth Whitening?

Charcoal teeth whitening is a craze that has blown up Pinterest and YouTube over the past few years. Bloggers and vloggers everywhere are proclaiming it as the path to whiter teeth — removing stains caused by red wine, curry and tea with minimal hassle. But what is it, exactly?

Activated charcoal is usually made from either coconut shell or coal, which is heated up (this is what “activates” it) and ground to form a finely milled carbon powder. Due to the activation process, the powder has small, low volume pores, which greatly increases its surface area.

Does Teeth Whitening Charcoal Work?

One theory is that activated charcoal works because the nano-sized pores in activated charcoal bind to tooth staining agents, thereby removing stains. It’s an interesting theory, but unfortunately, it has never been formally proven — there is not a single piece of clinical research either proving or disproving activated charcoal teeth whitening.

According to the spokesperson for the American Dental Association, Dr Kim Harms,

“There’s no evidence at all that activated charcoal does any good for your teeth. Like any abrasive, we’re worried about the effects on the gums and enamel on the teeth. We don’t know about the safety and effectiveness of it.”

So why do some people swear by charcoal? The answer could be all about perceptual improvement in white colour — you are, after all, coating your teeth in a black paste and then wiping it off. This can be enough to convince your mind that your teeth are even whiter than before, even if there has been no real change.

Consider Boutique Whitening as an Alternative to Charcoal Teeth Whitening

If you’re looking for a noticeable difference in the whiteness of your teeth, here at Tooth Doctor, we recommend Boutique Whitening. Boutique Whitening is a premium, quality whitening gel that delivers visible and impressive results — most patients will see a noticeable improvement in just a few days.

What’s more, Boutique is convenient for all lifestyles, as it whitens your smile with only one hour of wear time each day. Or, if you prefer, you can choose Boutique by Night, which works its magic while you slumber.

Why Choose Tooth Doctor to Get Your Teeth Whitened?

Our experts at the Tooth Doctor clinic provide prompt and professional teeth whitening treatment. Our dentists are expertly trained, GDC registered dentists. We use only whitening methods that are proven to get superior results — such as Boutique and Philips Zoom. We have

created thousands of happy smiles and we know how to tailor our treatments to suit your requirements.

If you’re looking to whiten your teeth, Tooth Doctor has clinics in Basildon and Stanford-Le-Hope. We’ll let you know beforehand whether your gums and teeth are suitable for the whitening treatment before making upper and lower impressions of your teeth and creating custom trays. We’ll make your teeth whiter by up to six shades in just one hour — with the added confidence teeth whitening gives you, you’re open to a world of possibilities.

Our teeth whitening treatments start from just £295. Get in touch with us today and book a free online teeth whitening consultation to find out what our friendly team of experts can do for you and how we can make you smile.

How to Quickly Get Rid of Stains on Teeth

If you’re sick of hiding your smile away because of yellow and brown stains on your teeth, don’t worry — there are ways to get rid of those stains for good.

There’s nothing wrong with striving to be the best you can be or trying to look the best you can. You have pride in your appearance, and that’s natural and healthy. But if yellow and brown teeth stains are holding you back and getting you down, you should know you don’t have to live with them. There are ways of getting around them forever.

To find out what teeth discolouration is, what causes teeth stains and how to get rid of them, read on — and if you’re still looking for reassurance and assistance, you can book a free online dental consultation to see how we at Tooth Doctor can help.

What is Teeth Discolouration?

Tooth discolouration — also known as tooth staining — is the appearance of abnormal and unflattering tooth colour, translucency and hue. External tooth discolouration is simply an accumulation of stains on the tooth’s surface. When you have internal discolouration in your teeth, it is the result of absorption of pigment particles into the tooth structure. There are a number of reasons that your teeth are not appearing pearly white, but there are essentially three main forms of teeth discolouration, which we will discuss below.

What Causes Stains on Teeth?

Stains on teeth are caused by either extrinsic, intrinsic or age-related factors.

Extrinsic stains occur when the enamel of the tooth is stained by dark food or drink, including wine, coffee, coke or your favourite curry. Other lifestyle factors, such as smoking, can cause extrinsic stains. All extrinsic stains are preventable and can be minimised by the incorporation of a good daily dental routine and regular trips to your dentist.

Intrinsic stains occur when the inner structure (the dentin) of your teeth darkens or develops a yellow hue. These stains can result for a number of reasons:

• You were given too much fluoride during early childhood
• Your mother used tetracycline antibiotics in the latter half of her pregnancy
• You yourself used tetracycline antibiotics before the age of eight
• At an early age, you had a fall or other such trauma and the internal bleeding discoloured the tooth
• You were born with dentinogenesis imperfecta — a rare condition that causes green, amber or purple discolouration.

Finally, stains may be age-related. Over time, dentin naturally yellows and enamel gets thinner, so the dentin is more visible.

Removing Stains on Teeth with Home Whitening Remedies

If you’re seeking whiter teeth, you’ve probably come across a wide range of home whitening remedies, including whitening toothpaste, activated charcoal whitening, baking soda, apple cider vinegar and various home whitening strip kits. Some people even swear by fruit, such as pineapple and strawberry. Other people opt for the centuries-old traditional Indian folk remedy of oil pulling. Coconut oil is the favoured oil these days for a number of reasons, not least due to its high lauric acid content, which has been known to reduce inflammation and kill bacteria.

So which home remedy is best for you? Getting answers can be difficult, as it’s been shown you can’t always trust customer reviews. The road to white teeth can be a frustrating and expensive one. Sometimes, at-home remedies can even be dangerous for your health. The strong bleaching gels used in some kits can cause mouth infections, blistering and burns, gum-shrinking and even damage to nerves and tooth enamel.

To Prevent Stains on Teeth, Make It a Daily Priority

So if you have given up on at-home remedies that boast miraculous results, what are you left with?

The first and most effective thing you can do to care for your smile and prevent stains on teeth is to have a diligent daily dental regime. To prevent and eliminate surface stains, brush your teeth after eating or drinking and use an antibacterial mouthwash to reduce stained plaque — stains are easily trapped in plaque and your mouthwash is specially designed to remove it. You can also take steps to avoid food and drink that are known to cause teeth stains. Also, if you’re a regular smoker, now is the time to stop — smoking can cause bad stains on teeth due to the nicotine and tar in the tobacco.

Make a Teeth Whitening Appointment with Your Local Dentist

At-home whitening kits might sound like the cheaper alternative from the outset, but don’t be fooled by false economy. You probably won’t get the results you desire after the first try, or possibly even the tenth. Soon, the costs will stack up and you’ll be left out of pocket, what’s more, your teeth won’t be any brighter.

To avoid the disappointment and frustration, you should head straight to your local dentist. Our Basildon clinic provides whitening from £295. Professional whitening is a great choice for most patients, as long as you have permanent teeth and good oral health. Professional dental whitening works well for anyone with stubborn, yellow or brown stains on their teeth. Get in touch today to finally get that smile you’ve always dreamed of.

Book a dental appointment today for dental whitening in Stanford-le-Hope and Basildon. To learn more about the finance options we offer,  get in touch today and our friendly team will be happy to help you.

What Is Invisalign? Discovering an Alternative to Braces

Invisalign teeth straightening could be the secret to the Hollywood smile you’ve always dreamed about

It’s about time we admitted that we all want to look good. Looks aren’t everything or even the most important thing in life, but they are indeed beneficial. Business Insider says that good-looking people have a greater degree of self-confidence, they get better-paid jobs and are more successful than those who don’t take great care of their appearance. And when it comes to appearance and glamour, Marilyn Monroe said it best — “A smile is the best makeup.”

Although we all want to look our best and to show off our pearly whites, not all of us have poker-straight teeth. About 40% of Brits are unhappy with their teeth, and for many, a crooked smile stops them from openly grinning in photographs.

You might be one of the millions of people who want to explore teeth straightening but who dread the idea of adult braces. If this is the case, then Invisalign might well be the answer.

Why You Need Straight Teeth

The desire for straight teeth shouldn’t be seen as purely superficial. Studies show that crowded or overlapping teeth can be more challenging to keep clean, which results in increased tooth decay and gum disease. Malocclusion — teeth that don’t come together properly when your jaws close — can cause issues with swallowing and chewing. Poor dental alignment can even make it difficult to speak correctly and pronounce certain sounds. Misaligned teeth can put extra stress on your chewing muscles, which can result in facial pain and even migraines. These are all issues you don’t want but can be easily resolved with our help.

What is Invisalign?

Here at Tooth Doctor, we are proud to offer the Invisalign clear aligner system — the result of twenty years of clinical research. No other clear aligner is backed by the data and experience of five million cases.

If you’re looking into options for braces, know that Invisalign is the clear (and in our opinion, superior) alternative to traditional metal braces. Invisalign makes use of removable teeth aligners that are almost invisible to the eye. These aligners are custom-made for you to straighten your teeth but without the pain and inconvenience of wires and brackets.

Invisalign teeth straightening offers comfort and convenience while correcting misaligned teeth, gaps, crowding, crossbites, underbites, overbites and buck teeth. Your tailor-made aligners are computer generated from a mould of your teeth — they move your teeth through a series of very carefully controlled movements. They are interchanged every two weeks or so for a period of up to eighteen months or longer, depending on your case. The result is a beautiful smile you will be happy to show off.

How Long Does Invisalign Take?

The length of time required for Invisalign to work its magic will vary depending on your particular situation and needs. The whole process can take anywhere from a year to a year and a half — your dentist will be able to give you a more detailed and personalised estimate during your consultation.

Advantages and Benefits of Invisalign

As dentists who work with Invisalign every day, we have noted the following benefits of Invisalign over traditional braces:

• The materials used for the aligners are flexible, making them comfortable to wear
• The aligners are invisible and thin, so you won’t have to worry about how they look
• The aligners allow us to achieve 75% more predictable tooth movement
• Weekly aligner changes mean you can see up to a 50% faster treatment time when compared to traditional metal braces
• Invisalign is usually used in conjunction with 3D digital scanning, a painless and non-invasive procedure, which is much easier and more comfortable than taking traditional dental impressions
• Invisalign uses digital imaging that is less intrusive than traditional X-rays, which is useful if you suffer from claustrophobia.

Limitations of Invisalign (When Invisalign Isn’t for You)

At Tooth Doctor, we’re big proponents of Invisalign, but we’d be the first to say that clear aligners aren’t suitable for everyone. If you have a particularly badly aligned bite, you might not be a good candidate for Invisalign. Invisalign is not always very effective in aligning molars, due to the fact that they have deep roots.

We should also mention that while the removability of the aligners is one of the best features of Invisalign, if you regularly remove them and misplace them, you could seriously delay orthodontic progress. So if you tend to get a bit forgetful, Invisalign may not be for you.

How Much Do Invisalign Braces Cost?

What is invisalign, invisalign teeth straightening, how much do invisalign braces cost?, teeth straightening, behind teeth braces, braces types, braces options, Affordable Invisalign in Basildon

We offer a free Invisalign consultation during which we will accurately assess your teeth to let you know how much money you need to invest in treatment. We are currently offering 50% off Invisalign braces —  where aligners used to cost £4,000, they might now cost as little as £1,800.

Do You Want Invisalign Braces? Trust Tooth Doctor

We have created a lot of glowing smiles over the years with over 500 Invisalign cases to date. At Tooth Doctor, we offer flexible payment plans to suit your budget. Start your treatment from £38 a month and spread the cost of your Invisalign treatment with our 0% payment plans. Our qualified and reliable dentists are experienced, friendly and know how to put even the most nervous patient at ease.

To get 50% off Invisalign teeth straightening, book a free Invisalign consultation today. Visit Tooth Doctor now to receive affordable Invisalign treatment in Basildon.

Periodontal (Gum) disease

Although there are many different diseases that affect the tooth-supporting structures, plaque-induced inflammatory lesions make up the vast majority of periodontal diseases. They have traditionally been divided into two categories, gingivitis or periodontitis, and can affect one tooth or many teeth.

Gingivitis is a reversible and more mild form of periodontal disease that affects only the gums. In many patients, an inflammatory overreaction to oral bacteria results in the body, in essence, turning on itself and destroying the tooth-supporting tissues. When the periodontal destruction has reached the underlying bone, the condition has progressed to the more serious form of gum disease called periodontitis. The gums eventually separate from the teeth, forming pockets (spaces between the teeth and gums) of infection. As the disease progresses, the pockets deepen and more gum tissue and bone are destroyed. Often this destructive process has very mild symptoms to no symptoms and the disease progresses unbeknownst to the patient. Eventually, due to loss of support, the teeth can become loose and may have to be removed.
More than one in three people over the age of 30 have a form of periodontal disease that has advanced beyond gingivitis. However, because periodontal disease develops silently and painlessly, the majority of people do not even realize they have it. Periodontitis is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults living in the developed world and should be taken very seriously for that reason. Additionally, accumulating research also links periodontal diseases to general health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, respiratory disease, and preterm low birth weight births.
The main cause of periodontal diseases is bacteria found in plaque, a sticky, colorless film that constantly forms on your teeth. However, other factors can also affect your periodontal health:

• Smoking/tobacco use
• Genetics
• Puberty, pregnancy, and menopause in women
• Stress
• Clenching or Grinding Your Teeth
• Diabetes
• Poor Nutrition

Symptoms of Periodontal Disease

Because symptoms may not occur until the disease is advanced, it is possible to have periodontal disease and have no warning signs. This is one of the reasons why regular dental checkups, which include periodontal examinations, are very important. When warning signs are present, they may include the following:

• Bleeding gums – Gums should never bleed, even when you brush vigorously or use dental floss.
• Loose teeth – Also caused by bone loss or weakened periodontal fibers (fibers that support the tooth to the bone).
• New spacing between teeth – Caused by bone loss.
• Persistent bad breath – Caused by bacteria in the mouth.
• Pus around the teeth and gums – A sign that there is an infection present.
• Receding gums – Loss of gum around a tooth.
• Red and puffy gums – Gums should never be red or swollen.
• Tenderness or Discomfort – Plaque, calculus (tartar), and bacteria irritate the gums and teeth.

Types of Periodontal Disease Treatment

Treatment methods depend upon the type of disease present and how far the condition has progressed. If diagnosed and treated in the early stages, simple nonsurgical periodontal therapy may be sufficient. If periodontitis has advanced to the point where the periodontal pockets are deep and significant amounts of bone are lost, surgical therapy may be necessary.

Good oral hygiene at home is essential to help keep periodontal disease from becoming more serious or recurring. Home care alone, however, is usually insufficient for controlling the bacterial infection below the gum line where your toothbrush, dental floss, and other oral hygiene aides do not reach. Once the bacteria have colonized below the gum line, specialized dental instruments are needed for their removal.

There are several different methods for treating periodontal diseases:

Nonsurgical treatments

• Prophylaxis is a routine dental cleaning performed on patients with normal, healthy mouths to maintain health and prevent the initiation of dental diseases. Traditionally, it has also been utilized for the management of mild gingivitis patients who do not have significant calculus (tartar) built up below the gum line.
• Scaling and root planing is a careful cleaning of the root surfaces to remove plaque, calculus (tartar) and bacterial toxins from deep periodontal pockets. Nonsurgical therapy does have its limitations, so the areas that have not responded favorably to scaling and root planing may require further treatment. Because of the complex anatomy of the root surfaces below the gum line, scaling and root planing is a much more demanding procedure than a prophylaxis. It is often necessary to perform the scaling and root planing treatment over the course of more than one appointment and with the adjunctive use of local anesthesia so that a thorough job can be performed in a comfortable manner for the patient. This was done in the following case to stabilise the periodontal condition ( as a patient attended with severe gum disease)
• Periodontal maintenance is a specialized program developed for each patient once periodontal health has been improved. It is designed to prevent periodontal disease from recurring in patients who have undergone treatment for periodontitis or dental implant therapy. This ongoing phase of treatment will allow the doctors and hygienists to assess your periodontal health and make sure the infection stays under control. Periodontal diseases are chronic diseases, much like diabetes. Without careful, ongoing treatment, periodontal diseases can and often do recur.
• Other surgical periodontal options are available once the periodontal condition is stable.

How can periodontal diseases be prevented?

Good oral hygiene and professional care are the keys to keeping your teeth for a lifetime. The best way to prevent periodontal diseases and tooth decay is thorough brushing and flossing every day. Good oral hygiene habits will help keep the formation of dental tartar to a minimum. Regular dental visits that include a periodontal examination are also important to detect any changes in periodontal health and, if necessary, to remove hardened tartar in places that your toothbrush and floss may have missed. A professional cleaning (prophylaxis), at least twice a year, is recommended for patients with good periodontal health. If you have had any form of periodontal disease or a high incidence of cavities in the past, you may need professional maintenance more frequently.
Preventing and/or controlling periodontal disease is a worthwhile commitment that will keep you smiling for life.

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