Teeth whitening
Whitening uses a peroxide gel to break down the coloured molecules held inside tooth enamel and dentine. It lightens natural tooth structure only — it has no effect on crowns, veneers, fillings or bonding, which is the fact that most often surprises people afterwards. Professionally supervised whitening is the smallest cosmetic intervention available: nothing is removed, nothing is bonded, and if you stop, your teeth simply return to where they were.
Delivered by: Dentist Saliha Yıldırım
Who it suits
- Adults with generally healthy teeth and gums whose teeth have darkened with age
- Staining from coffee, tea, red wine or tobacco
- Patients wanting a lighter baseline before veneers or crowns are made
- Patients who want a visible improvement without any irreversible treatment
- Patients who have completed any necessary fillings and gum treatment first
Who it does not suit
- Patients with untreated decay or gum disease
- Front teeth already restored with crowns, veneers or large fillings — those will not change and the mismatch will worsen
- Pregnant or breastfeeding patients
- Patients under 18
- Patients with severe enamel erosion or exposed root surfaces, which whiten unpredictably and painfully
- Intrinsic discolouration from certain medications or trauma, which responds poorly and may need a different approach
How the treatment works
Gum tissue is protected and a peroxide gel is applied to the teeth. In-surgery whitening uses a higher concentration under supervision for immediate effect; at-home whitening uses custom-made trays and a lower concentration over one to two weeks, which is gentler and gives a more stable result. Combining the two — a surgery session followed by a home course — usually gives both the immediate change and the durability.
Treatment stages
- 01
Examination
Decay, gum health and existing restorations are checked. Whitening over untreated decay is a bad idea and whitening next to a crown produces a mismatch.
- 02
Cleaning
Professional cleaning first — surface staining removed by cleaning is not staining that whitening needs to address.
- 03
In-surgery whitening
Gums isolated, gel applied in cycles over roughly 60 to 90 minutes, with the shade recorded before and after.
- 04
Home whitening
Custom trays and gel for a supervised course at home, which stabilises and extends the result.
- 05
Review
Final shade recorded. Where ceramic work is planned, this shade becomes the reference for it.
Materials and options
Hydrogen peroxide
Used in surgery at higher concentration under supervision, with gum protection in place.
Carbamide peroxide
Used in home trays at lower concentration over a longer period. Gentler, with less sensitivity and a more stable outcome.
Custom trays
Made from an impression or scan of your teeth so that gel sits on the teeth and not on the gums. This is the difference between supervised whitening and the kits sold online.
Recovery
No recovery period. Sensitivity to cold during and for a day or two after treatment is common and usually resolves on its own. Gums can be briefly tender if gel has contacted them.
Aftercare
Avoid strongly coloured food and drink for the first 48 hours, when teeth are most absorbent. After that, the result fades gradually over one to three years depending on your habits. A short top-up course using your existing trays maintains it, which is why the trays are worth keeping.
What affects the cost
- Whether in-surgery whitening, home whitening or both are used
- Whether custom trays are made
- Whether professional cleaning is required first
- The number of top-up gel syringes supplied
Travel considerations
Whitening rarely justifies a trip on its own, but it is almost always the first thing scheduled within one. If any ceramic work is planned, whitening must come first: ceramic is made to a fixed shade and cannot be lightened afterwards, so whitening after the veneers means whitening to a shade you can no longer match.
Alternatives
Professional cleaning alone
A surprising amount of what people call discolouration is surface staining that comes off with cleaning. Worth trying before whitening.
Composite bonding
For localised discolouration that whitening will not shift.
Veneers
For deep intrinsic staining that does not respond to whitening. A much larger step, and only after whitening has been tried.
Risks and limitations
- Tooth sensitivity during and shortly after treatment, common and usually temporary
- Gum irritation where gel contacts soft tissue
- Uneven results where teeth have varying internal staining
- No effect on existing crowns, veneers, fillings or bonding, which may then look darker or lighter than the surrounding teeth
- Gradual relapse over time
- Enamel damage from unsupervised over-use of high-concentration products
Common questions
How long does whitening last?
Typically one to three years before a top-up is worthwhile, depending on coffee, tea, red wine and tobacco. Keeping your custom trays means a top-up costs only the gel.
Does whitening damage enamel?
Professionally supervised whitening at appropriate concentrations does not damage enamel. Unsupervised high-concentration products used repeatedly can, which is the main argument for having it done properly.
Will my crowns and fillings whiten too?
No. Whitening affects natural tooth structure only. If you have visible crowns, veneers or fillings, they will stay exactly as they are and may need replacing afterwards to match — which should be part of the plan and the budget from the start.
Should I whiten before or after veneers?
Before, always. The ceramic is made to match your whitened shade. Whitening afterwards changes the surrounding teeth and leaves the veneers looking too dark.
How white will my teeth get?
It depends on your starting shade and the type of discolouration. Yellow tones respond well; grey tones respond less predictably. Your shade is recorded before and after so the change is measured rather than remembered.
Related reading
Start with the assessment.
Send your photographs and a short description of what is bothering you. You will receive a first assessment and, where possible, a written preliminary plan — before any question of travel comes up.
Free of charge · No obligation · German, English or Turkish