Is Whitening Worth It?

Whitening Costs in Glasgow

Those are the only whitening fees at St Vincent Smile: there's no separate charge for the check of your teeth and gums, the scan or the review, and the trays are yours to keep.² Top-up gel is available from the practice whenever you need it; ask us for the current price.

What's Included For £350?

• A check of your teeth and gums first. We look for decay, gum disease and cracks, which need treating before whitening, and note any fillings, crowns or veneers that won't change colour.
• Custom trays made from a scan of your teeth. An iTero Lumina scan, with no putty, and trays that fit precisely so the gel stays on your teeth and off your gums.
• Professional Boutique whitening gel, prescribed by your dentist, with instructions on how much to use and for how long.
• A record of your starting shade, so you can see the difference.
• A review to check your new shade and talk about keeping it.
• Trays you keep, for top-ups later.

Is It Included with Other Treatment?

Yes. Every Invisalign package and every composite bonding package includes whitening. For bonding, that's practical: composite is matched to the colour of your teeth and can't be whitened afterwards, so whitening first means the bonding is made to your brighter shade. Bonding packages are £1,550 for four teeth, £2,350 for six, £3,150 for eight and £3,950 for ten, whitening included. For Invisalign, from £3,750, whitening is part of finishing the smile once the teeth are straight. If you're thinking about either, there's no need to budget for whitening separately. Our guide to whitening before bonding explains the order.

Worth It Over Cheaper Options?

It depends what you want. If your teeth have surface stain from tea, coffee or smoking, a hygiene visit with Airflow polishing (£100) may be all you need, and a whitening toothpaste can help in between. Neither changes the natural colour of the tooth.

If your teeth are genuinely yellower or darker than you'd like, whitening is the only treatment that lightens them from within, and professional whitening is the only legal way to have it. Shop kits are limited to 0.1% hydrogen peroxide, so they mainly remove surface stain. Salon or kiosk whitening by non-dental staff is illegal in the UK, and the products are often too weak, not legal, or damaging to enamel. Dentist whitening uses professional-strength gel, within the UK limit of 6%, in trays made for your teeth, with a dentist checking first that it's right for you. Compared with bonding or veneers, it's by far the least invasive way to improve a smile, because nothing is added to or taken from the tooth.

What Affects the Result?

• Your starting shade. Yellowish teeth usually respond best. Grey staining lightens more slowly, and a single dark tooth that has died may need a different approach.
• Existing dental work. Fillings, bonding, crowns and veneers keep their colour.
• Wearing the trays as advised. Skipping days stretches the course out.
• Sensitivity. Some people need shorter wear times or a night off, which slows things slightly but still gets there.
• Your habits afterwards. Tea, coffee, red wine and smoking bring stain back sooner.

Results vary from person to person. We show you a realistic shade before you start rather than promising a number of shades, and we'll tell you honestly if whitening isn't the right answer for your teeth.

How Long Does It Last?

Usually a year or more, and sometimes a few years, depending on tea, coffee, red wine and smoking. Because you keep your trays, a few nights of top-up gel restores the shade without paying for a new course, and hygiene visits with Airflow polishing remove the surface stain that builds up in between. Spread over the time it lasts, £350 works out as a modest cost for the change most people see. Our guide to keeping your teeth white covers the habits that make it last longer.

What Won't Whitening Change?

Fillings, bonding, crowns and veneers keep their colour. If any are on your front teeth, we'll plan whether they need refreshing to match after whitening, and any new bonding or crowns are priced separately. Whitening also won't change the shape or position of teeth: if what bothers you is a chip, a gap or crowding, bonding or Invisalign is the answer, with whitening included. And it isn't available to under-18s, who can only have whitening to treat or prevent disease, or during pregnancy or breastfeeding, when we don't whiten as a precaution.

Can I Spread the Cost or Save on It?

Finance through Chrysalis Finance is available on treatment from £1,500, so whitening on its own doesn't qualify, but it's covered when it's part of a larger plan such as Invisalign or a bonding package. Dental plan members pay £315 rather than £350, and both plans include hygiene visits with Airflow, which keep the result looking fresh. Plan A is £24.10 a month and Plan B £40.16 a month. If you were planning a hygiene visit and whitening anyway, it's worth doing the sums.

Questions

This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.