Custom take-home trays, made for your teeth and supervised by us — the gentler way to whiten, with more control over the final result.
Our honest position: take-home trays beat in-chair whitening — gentler on teeth and gums, and you stay in control.
We begin with a professional clean to remove the surface stains that coffee, tea and nicotine leave behind. It means the whitening works on your actual tooth colour, not on a layer of stain — and it gives us the chance to check your teeth and gums before you start.
Before anything else happens, we record the exact shade of your teeth. It keeps everyone honest: when you're finished, you compare the before and after side by side and see the real difference — not an imagined one.
We take an impression of your teeth and have custom bleaching trays made to fit your mouth and no one else's. A close fit keeps the whitening material where it belongs — on your teeth, not your gums — which is a large part of why the take-home approach is the gentler one.
“Michael is absolutely amazing! Staff are so caring and friendly.”
At a follow-up appointment we check the trays fit properly, dispense the bleaching material, and walk you through exactly how and when to use it. Then you whiten at home, at your own pace, with us a phone call away if anything feels off.
At a later check-up we compare your new shade against the one we recorded, make sure your teeth and gums have handled the whitening comfortably, and answer anything you're wondering about keeping the result.
Bleaching doesn't work on fillings, crowns or veneers — they keep their original colour while the natural teeth around them lighten. If you have tooth-coloured fillings in visible spots, they may need replacing after whitening so they match your new shade. We'll point that out before you start, not after.
Whitening can also cause temporary sensitivity or gum irritation in some people — which is exactly why we believe it belongs under professional supervision, where the pace and the material can be adjusted to suit you.
Two reasons: control and gentleness. With custom trays you lighten gradually, so there's more control over the final result — and the process is gentler on your teeth and gums than a single intensive in-chair session. You can slow down or pause if your teeth feel sensitive, and we're supervising the whole way. We'd rather the gentler path.
No — and you deserve to know that before you start, not after. Bleaching only changes the colour of natural teeth; fillings, crowns and veneers stay exactly as they are. If you have tooth-coloured fillings somewhere visible, they may need replacing after whitening so they match your lighter shade. We'll show you exactly which ones, and what that would involve, before you begin.
Some people notice temporary sensitivity or a little gum irritation while whitening — it's a known side effect of bleaching, and it's the main reason we believe whitening should happen under professional supervision. If it happens to you, tell us: we can adjust how often and how long you wear your trays. You set the pace.
It genuinely varies from person to person — it depends on your natural tooth colour and what caused the staining, so we won't promise you a particular shade. What we will do is record your shade before you start, so at your review you can see the real change side by side. Honest before-and-after, not wishful thinking.
Yes — it's built into the process. Whitening starts with a thorough clean to remove surface stains from coffee, tea and nicotine, so the material works on your actual tooth colour. It's also our chance to look at your teeth, gums and any fillings, and to tell you honestly whether whitening will give you the result you're hoping for. If it won't, we'll say so.
We don't publish a single price, because every mouth is different. You'll always get a quote in writing before any treatment begins — we'll always talk cost before we treat. If you have health fund cover, call (03) 9560 2702 and we'll help check it before you come in.
“We'll always tell you when treatment isn't needed.”
Dr Michael Sawaya
Dr Barry Kave
