Am I a candidate for whitening?

Tooth whitening is safe for most people and the best candidates are those who only have mild to moderate discolouration. But there are certain types of discolouration that cannot be corrected by whitening treatments, and there are certain dental or medical conditions that may reduce the chances tooth whitening will work for you. These include:

• Teeth with grey tones, white spots, or discolouration from a "dead" tooth may not bleach at all.
• Some conditions like sensitive teeth or teeth with worn enamel and patients with bruxism or temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ/TMD) may become worse if teeth are bleached.
• Tooth whitening is not effective if tooth discolouration is caused by medications or a tooth injury.
• Porcelain veneers, dental crowns, caps, fillings, or dental bonding on the front teeth etc are synthetic materials (resins or porcelain) that do not respond well to bleaching products. You may need new crowns or veneers if you want these teeth to appear whiter.