Teeth whitening
Teeth Whitening Adelaide : custom trays, made in-house
Most whitening sold in Adelaide, from chemist strips to salon sessions, uses the same low-strength gel in a tray that was never shaped to your mouth. Whitening at Avenue Dental Adelaide is the other kind. Your dentist scans your teeth, our lab team at the practice makes trays that fit them exactly, and you take home a prescription-strength gel to use over one to two weeks. The fitted tray is the point: it holds the gel where the tooth is and away from the gum, so the shade lifts evenly and sensitivity is easier to manage. Before any of that, your dentist checks your teeth are healthy enough to whiten.
New to Avenue? Your custom whitening trays are included free with a New Patient Check Up. Terms + Conditions apply, see here.
Your whitening trays come with your first check-up
New patients at Avenue Dental Adelaide have custom whitening trays made as part of the new patient check-up, with no separate whitening fee. Trays are only issued once your dentist has confirmed your teeth and gums are healthy; any treatment or hygiene care your mouth needs is completed first.
How it runs: check-up and scan at your first visit, trays made by our on-site lab team in one to two weeks, then a short fitting where you collect your prescription-strength gel and instructions. The whitening itself happens at home over one to two weeks, and the trays are yours to keep for top-ups.
Terms and conditions apply. See the full terms here.
Five ways to whiten your teeth, compared
Toothpaste, chemist strips, a salon appointment, custom trays from a dentist, or an hour in the chair with a laser: all sold as whitening, at prices from a few dollars to a few hundred. What each actually does to your teeth comes down to two things, how strong the gel is allowed to be and whether anyone examined your teeth first.
Whitening toothpaste
- Polishes surface stains off with mild abrasives; it doesn’t change the colour of the tooth underneath
- The shade you started with is the shade you keep
- The more abrasive pastes can wear enamel with daily use over years
- Fine for keeping a result you already have, not for getting one
Chemist strips and kits
- Capped by law at 6% hydrogen peroxide or equivalent in Australia, well below what a dentist can prescribe
- One-size strips and trays don’t follow your teeth, so gel misses the edges and pools on the gums
- Gum contact is where the stinging comes from, and there’s no one to adjust the dose
- No one has checked for decay, cracks or leaking fillings before the gel goes on
- Modest results that fade fast, which is why the box gets bought again
Beauty salon whitening
- Salon operators aren’t registered dental practitioners, so they’re limited to the same low-strength gel as the chemist
- The light doesn’t make a weak gel stronger
- Much of the on-the-day change is the teeth drying out, and it rebounds within days
- No dental examination beforehand, so the problems that make whitening painful or blotchy go unseen
- No dentist to call if sensitivity or uneven patches show up afterwards
Dentist-made custom trays
- Your teeth are examined first, and anything that needs fixing is fixed before you whiten
- Trays are made from a scan of your teeth by our in-house lab, so the gel covers every surface and stays off your gums
- Prescription-strength gel that only a registered dentist can supply
- The shade lifts gradually over one to two weeks, and you stop when you’re happy
- Sensitive teeth are managed by adjusting the gel strength or wear time, or with a desensitising gel in the same trays
- Trays are yours for years; a top-up is a syringe of gel, not a new treatment
- This is what we offer in Adelaide, and it’s included with your new patient check-up
In-chair or laser whitening at a dentist
- High-strength gel applied by the dentist in one appointment of around an hour, sometimes with a light or laser
- The fastest visible change, and the most likely of the dental options to cause sensitivity
- The result settles over the following week, so most dentists send you home with custom trays anyway
- We don’t offer in-chair or laser whitening in Adelaide. If you’re whitening for a specific date, tell us and we’ll advise whether trays can get you there in time
The two dental options share one thing the other three don’t: someone examined your teeth before any gel went near them. Most whitening problems start with gel on a tooth that had an unnoticed crack, a leaking filling or a receding gum, and a check-up first is how you avoid being one of them.
Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. The information on this page is general in nature and does not constitute clinical advice. Individual suitability, treatment and costs depend on an assessment specific to you. Before proceeding, seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner. View treatment risks here.
How teeth whitening works at Avenue Dental Adelaide
Two visits with us, then the whitening happens at home. Open each step to see what’s involved.
1Check-up and scan
Your dentist examines your teeth and gums, takes X-rays where needed, and confirms whitening suits you. This is also where any sensitivity you already have gets talked about, so the plan accounts for it. If a filling or a clean is needed first, it’s booked before the whitening. Then a quick digital scan captures the shape of your teeth for the trays.
2Trays made in-house, then fitted
Our own lab team at the practice makes your trays from the scan, which takes one to two weeks. At a short fitting appointment we check they sit snugly, hand over your whitening gel, and show you how much to use, how long to wear the trays each day, and what to do if your teeth feel sensitive.
3Whiten at home
You wear the trays with gel for a set time each day, usually over one to two weeks. The shade lifts gradually, so you can stop once you’re happy with it. If your teeth feel sensitive, skip a day, use less gel, or use the desensitising gel we can supply in the same trays, and call us if it doesn’t settle.
4Keep it white
Whitening isn’t permanent. Coffee, tea, red wine and time nudge the shade back over a year or two. Because your trays were made to your teeth, a top-up is a few nights with a fresh syringe of gel rather than starting again, and your regular check-ups are a good time to pick one up.
Why Choose Avenue Dental for Teeth Whitening in Adelaide
Healthy first, white second — Trays are only made once your dentist has confirmed your teeth and gums are healthy. Decay, cracks and gum problems are treated and any hygiene care completed before the gel goes anywhere near your teeth, which is how you get an even result without the surprises.
Trays made on site, by our own lab team — Adelaide has its own laboratory at the practice, so your trays are moulded to your scan here rather than sent away. Fit problems are fixed in days, and the trays you get are the ones you’ll use for top-ups for years.
Prescription strength, dentist prescribed — The gel we supply is a strength only a registered dentist can prescribe, and we show you how much to use and for how long. If sensitivity turns up, we adjust the gel or the wear time, or supply a desensitising gel for the same trays.
Sensitive teeth are planned for — If your teeth already react to cold, tell us at the check-up. Gel strength, wear time and a desensitising option are set around it from the start rather than after the first sore morning.
You decide the shade — The colour lifts gradually over one to two weeks, so you stop when it looks right to you. Nobody chooses the shade for you in a single hour under a lamp.
The information on this page is general in nature and does not constitute clinical advice. Individual suitability, treatment and costs depend on an assessment specific to you. Before proceeding, seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner. View treatment risks here.
Teeth whitening in Adelaide: your questions answered
How much does teeth whitening cost in Adelaide?
Across Adelaide, dentist-supervised whitening is commonly quoted from a few hundred dollars for custom trays to over a thousand for in-chair or laser treatment, while chemist kits and salon sessions cost less and deliver less. At Avenue Dental Adelaide, custom whitening trays are included with your new patient check-up, with terms and conditions that apply, and top-up gel is available afterwards. When comparing prices between clinics, ask whether the trays are custom-made, whether an examination is included, and whether top-up gel is extra.
Do I need a consultation before whitening, and what should I ask?
Yes, and it should be a proper check-up rather than a chat. Whitening gel on a tooth with decay, a crack or a leaking filling causes pain and uneven results, so an examination first is the safety step. Worth asking anywhere: will my teeth be examined before whitening, are the trays custom-made from a scan of my teeth, what strength is the gel and who prescribes it, what happens if I get sensitivity, and how much is top-up gel.
Which whitening option is best for sensitive teeth?
Custom trays, for most people. The fitted tray keeps gel off the gums, which is where much sensitivity starts, and your dentist can lower the gel strength, shorten the wear time, or supply a desensitising gel to use in the same trays. In-chair and laser whitening use the strongest gel at the fastest pace and are the most likely to trigger sensitivity. If your teeth are already sensitive, tell us at your check-up so the plan is built around it.
Is teeth whitening safe?
Dentist-supervised whitening with a prescription gel is considered safe for most adults when the teeth and gums have been examined first. The examination is the safety step. Whitening is not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or for children, and it will not change the colour of fillings, crowns or veneers.
How long does it take, and how long does it last?
Trays take one to two weeks to make, then whitening at home takes one to two weeks, so allow about a month from check-up to finished shade. Results typically last one to two years depending on coffee, tea, red wine and smoking, and are easily topped up with a fresh syringe of gel in the same trays.
Do you offer laser or in-chair whitening in Adelaide?
No. We whiten with custom trays because, for most people, they reach a similar shade with less sensitivity and a result that lasts longer, and you keep the trays for top-ups. In-chair and laser whitening are faster on the day, but the result settles over the following week and most dentists send you home with trays anyway. If you are whitening for a specific date, tell us and we will advise whether trays can get you there in time.
Will whitening work on my teeth?
Whitening lifts the natural shade of your enamel and works best on yellow or brown staining from food, drink and age. It has less effect on grey tones or on teeth stained from the inside by injury or certain medications, and it does not change fillings, crowns or veneers. Your dentist will tell you at your check-up what result to expect for your teeth.
Are the whitening trays really included with a check-up?
Yes, for new patients at Avenue Dental Adelaide, with terms and conditions that apply. The check-up includes a full examination and X-rays where needed; if your teeth are suitable, a scan is taken and the trays are made by our in-house lab team in one to two weeks, then fitted with dentist-prescribed gel. Any treatment your teeth need first is done before whitening. Read the full terms.
Should I whiten before veneers or Invisalign?
Before veneers, yes: veneers are matched to the shade of the surrounding teeth and cannot be whitened later, so whitening first means they are made to your whiter shade. With Invisalign, whitening is usually done at the end, once the teeth are in their final position.
Flexible payment plans
At Avenue Dental on the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne, we understand that dental treatment can be difficult to fit into your budget, which is why we offer a range of different dental payment plan options.
