Professional Teeth Whitening in Braintree
Custom-made trays and professional-strength gel, used at home over two to three weeks. Legally, only a dentist can supply gel at a strength that actually changes your shade, and only after examining your teeth first.
Why dentist whitening works and shop kits do not
Whitening gel breaks down the coloured molecules that have built up inside your enamel over years of tea, coffee, red wine and ordinary ageing. It does not strip anything off the tooth or bleach it white. It lifts your own shade several steps.
The difference between what I can supply and what you can buy is set by law. Kits sold direct to the public are capped at 0.1% hydrogen peroxide. A dentist can prescribe up to 6% after examining you. That gap is the entire reason shop-bought strips do so little.
The other half of it is the trays. Custom trays hold gel against enamel and away from your gums, so the gel works where it should and does not burn where it should not. Boil-and-bite trays do neither reliably.
What whitening changes, and what it will not touch
Whitening changes colour and nothing else. It does not move teeth, rebuild them or alter their shape, and it has no effect on anything artificial in your mouth.
General yellowing and dietary staining
The everyday darkening from tea, coffee, red wine and age. This is what whitening is genuinely good at, and where results are most predictable.
Not restorations
Crowns, veneers, bridges and composite fillings keep their original shade. If you have a white crown at the front, whitening the teeth around it changes the match.
Not banding or tetracycline staining
Deep intrinsic marks and white patches respond partially at best. These usually need bonding or veneers, and I will say so rather than sell you a course that cannot work.
How much does teeth whitening cost at a dentist?
Both arches, custom trays, full course of gel, plus the examination and the review. The fee below is the whole thing, and the trays are yours to keep so future top-ups only cost the price of a gel syringe.
| Treatment | Price from | What that covers |
|---|---|---|
| Home whitening, custom trays | £299 both arches | Impressions, two custom-made trays and a full course of gel. Worn at home over two to three weeks. |
Teeth whitening is not available on the NHS for cosmetic reasons. It is occasionally provided on clinical grounds, for example on a single tooth that has darkened after trauma, which is a different treatment from whitening a full arch.
Treatment can be spread over 6 to 12 months at 0% interest, subject to an affordability check. The total is the same as paying up front.
Get a written quoteWhat happens
How the course runs
An examination, an impression appointment, then two to three weeks at home. Total chair time is under an hour.
Step 1
Consultation
A look at your teeth and your starting shade, recorded against a shade guide so the change is measurable rather than a matter of opinion. Written quote before anything is booked.
Step 2
Examination and impressions
Checking there is no untreated decay or gum inflammation, then taking impressions or a digital scan for the trays. Whitening over an untreated cavity is painful and avoidable.
Step 3
Trays fitted, gel supplied
The trays are made to your teeth so the gel sits on enamel and off your gums. I show you how much gel to load, which is less than most people assume.
Step 4
Two to three weeks at home
Worn overnight, or a few hours a day if you prefer. Most of the visible change happens in the first week, with the last shade or two taking the longest.
Step 5
Review and final shade
We compare against the starting photograph and shade tab. If you want to go further, extra gel is a small cost from here since the trays already exist.
How long the result lasts
One to three years, then top up
Shade drifts back gradually rather than suddenly. Most people notice it at around eighteen months. Two or three nights of top-up gel resets it, which is why keeping your trays matters.
What pulls it back fastest
Coffee, tea, red wine, curry and smoking, in roughly that order of frequency. You do not have to give them up. Rinsing with water afterwards does more than most people expect.
The first 48 hours matter most
Enamel is temporarily more porous straight after a course, so staying off deeply coloured food and drink for two days protects the result you have just paid for.
Dentist whitening vs shop-bought kits vs salon whitening
The differences are legal and clinical, not marketing. Only a dentist can supply gel above 0.1% peroxide, and only after examining you.
| Dentist, custom trays This page | Shop or online kit Sold direct to the public | Salon or beauty bar Non-dentist provider | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal gel strength | Up to 6% hydrogen peroxide | 0.1% maximum | 0.1% maximum if not a dentist |
| Examined first | Yes, required | No | No |
| Trays | Made to your teeth | One-size boil-and-bite | One-size |
| Gel on your gums | Kept off by tray design | Common, causes burning | Common |
| Realistic shade change | Several shades | Marginal at best | Marginal, often just dehydration |
| Legality for the provider | Legal | Legal to sell at 0.1% | Illegal in the UK if whitening without a dentist |
Whitening by anyone who is not a registered dental professional is illegal in the UK, and the General Dental Council prosecutes for it. If a salon offers you whitening, ask for the treating clinician's GDC number.
TODO · Before/after case for Teeth Whitening · §9.3
There is no whitening-only case in the library yet. The pair below combines aligners with whitening, so it cannot honestly be presented as a whitening result on its own.
Frequently asked questions
How much does teeth whitening cost at a dentist in the UK?
Dentist-supervised home whitening in the UK typically runs between £250 and £450 for both arches in 2026, and in-chair systems cost more. My fees are in the table above. Anything advertised at £99 is either a single-arch offer or not dentist-supervised whitening.
How long does professional teeth whitening last?
One to three years for most people, and the variable is you, not the gel. Coffee, red wine, tea and tobacco pull the shade back fastest. Because you keep the trays, a two or three night top-up once a year holds the result almost indefinitely.
Does whitening work on crowns, veneers or bonding?
No. Whitening gel only lightens natural enamel. Crowns, veneers and composite keep the shade they were made in, so whitening natural teeth around an existing white restoration can leave it looking dull by comparison. Worth planning for before you start.
Is it legal to buy whitening kits online?
Kits sold direct to the public are legally capped at 0.1% hydrogen peroxide, which is too weak to do much. Only a dentist can supply the 6% strength that actually works, and only after examining you. That legal gap is the whole difference between the two.
Will it make my teeth sensitive?
Some sensitivity is common and temporary, usually short zinging sensations for a day or two. It settles once you stop. If it becomes uncomfortable we drop to shorter wear times or alternate nights, which reaches the same end shade more slowly.
Why do I need an examination first?
Because whitening an untreated cavity or an infected gum line hurts and can do harm. Gel reaching exposed dentine through a crack is genuinely painful. A ten-minute check rules that out, and it is why supervised whitening is safe at strengths shop-bought kits cannot use.
Still have a question?
Ask it at your consultation, or ring the practice and ask for Dr Akhalwaya.
Book a consultationNot sure where to start? Book a consultation
No pressure and no obligation - a look, an honest opinion on what would actually help, and a written fixed-fee quote before anything is booked.