All you need to know about Enlighten Smiles (part 2)
Have some questions about Enlighten whitening? or whitening in general? You've come to the right place!
Hey, Enlighten family!
Here are some frequently asked questions we see pop up quite a lot! Hope this helps answer anything you guys may want to know about Enlighten Whitening or teeth whitening in general.
1. Is Enlighten teeth whitening worth it?
In a nutshell, if Enlighten doesn’t work, nothing else will.
2. Enlighten contact number?
Our phone number is 0207 424 3270.
3. Does Enlighten whitening damage your teeth?
As long as it is done as prescribed and instructed by a dentist, Enlighten is 100% safe.
4. How long do I leave Enlighten teeth whitening on?
In week 1 and week 2, you should keep the Enlighten trays on for as long as you are asleep, ideally as close to 8 hours as possible. During week 3, you should whiten for 1 hour per day.
5. How do you use Enlighten Smiles?
Enlighten is a 3-week professional teeth whitening system used over 14 consecutive nights and 7 consecutive days. It involves custom-made, super-sealed trays and three different strengths of pH-stable, high-quality gels. Video instructions can be found by clicking HERE.
6. Can you drink coffee while doing Enlighten?
Yes, you can eat and drink anything you like during and after the treatment. The Enlighten whitening process means there is no need to change your diet.
7. Can I drink coffee with a straw after whitening?
Using a straw will help prevent any future straining from building on your teeth.
8. How do coffee drinkers keep their teeth white?
Coffee drinkers are bound to have staining from consuming coffee in general. It is a harsh substance for your teeth, so in order to keep them white whilst drinking coffee, you must use a highly effective stain-removing, teeth bleaching system such as Enlighten. After your whitening treatment, you will be able to consume coffee, which will not affect the whitening.
9. What hot drinks can I have after teeth whitening?
With some whitening methods, tea, coffee and other staining foods and drinks are discouraged. However, with Enlighten there are no dietary restrictions; you can proceed to eat and drink what you like without worrying about the colour of your teeth.
10. Can I drink water with Enlighten trays in?
Ideally not. However, if you need to, make sure you consume the water through a straw.
11. How long after teeth whitening can I drink water?
You can drink water straight after you have removed your whitening trays and brushed your teeth.
12. Is it okay to skip a day of Enlighten teeth whitening?
For best results, it is best to use the trays for 14 consecutive nights. But if for whatever reason you may need to skip a day, just make sure to continue your treatment like normal after the missed day.
13. How do I close the pores on my teeth after whitening?
Great news! There is nothing you need to do about this, nature does all the work.
14. Why do my teeth look yellow after whitening?
If you have undergone the whitening treatment and seen little to no results, fret not – there are usually things that can be done to fix this. Insufficient or incorrect whitening is usually the main culprit for such situations and the fix usually implies more whitening. But you must make sure to contact your dentist and book a consultation to discuss your options and next steps.
15. How long after teeth whitening can I brush my teeth?
Immediately.
16. Can you use Enlighten during the day?
Yes, you can use it awake for a minimum of 3-4 hours. This will generally be advised if you grind your teeth at night.
17. What is the best teeth whitening method?
A professional teeth whitening system prescribed by your dentist is the only way to safely and effectively whiten your teeth with long lasting results. Use a system like Enlighten Evo4 that guarantees results.
18. How do celebrities get their teeth so white?
Often very white teeth are achieved with veneers rather than whitening, but often these procedures can lead to bigger problems like staining or drilling of the teeth.
19. Can 70-year-old teeth be whitened?
Absolutely! There is no upper age limit to whitening however, with patients over 60 years old, it can take longer than the standard course. The dentist should be able to assess and prescribe longer treatment courses based on each patient’s needs.
20. Can yellow teeth become white?
Yellow teeth can be brightened with teeth whitening or the colour can be completely changed by covering the teeth with veneers.
21. How do dentists clean yellow teeth?
Hygienists can clean surface-stains off a tooth by scaling and polishing them. The colour of the enamel can only be changed by teeth bleaching/whitening.
22. Why are my teeth yellow when I brush them every day?
Teeth darken naturally with age, brushing too hard or consuming staining foods or drinks. Professional teeth whitening can reverse most of these effects.
23. Why won’t my teeth whiten?
Seeing no results with Enlighten is rare, and it could be due to various reasons such as BRUXISM, superficial bleaching, or compliance. In such a situation, we advise getting in touch with your dentist and discussing a new treatment plan for you.
24. Why Enlighten whitening didn’t work?
We tackle many difficult cases successfully with Enlighten, however in the rare cases where the system did not get you to B1, always contact your dentist who has your clinical records and carried out your treatment to understand what happened and how to fix it.
25. I have almost finished my treatment and I am still not at shade B1.
Continue the treatment until the end, and if you still suspect you are still not at B1 shade after the third week of your treatment then please contact your dentist. Get your dentist to get in touch with the Enlighten team, send some pictures, and explain the situation and we can tell you the best way to proceed.
26. Is it normal for gums to be red/irritated/sore?
It is not normal, but the good news is that gums are brilliant at healing themselves. Usually, irritated gums from overloading the tray with gel appears whiteish rather than red, and in that situation, take a daybreak and next time apply less gel in the trays. If you suspect an allergy, stop using the gel straight away and contact your dentist.
27. My trays have small air pockets in and are worried if they are tight enough?
Firstly, kudos to you for noticing such detail. The good news is that we made this on purpose. The air pockets and super-sealed margins ensure that the gel stays in contact with the tooth at all times, they are there for providing a better result.
28. How much gel do I put in my trays?
You only need a lentil size or a small pea size amount of gel in each tooth. Patients with very small teeth may need less than this.
29. I have trays from previously whitening my teeth, can I just buy the Enlighten kit and use them?
You can, but for the best results (for the B1 guarantee) you would have to use Enlighten trays. They are crucial in providing that ultimate result for multiple reasons: they are custom fit, provide better retention, super sealed margins, very durable, etc.
30. Does the whitening treatment include any LED/UV-type lights?
With Enlighten, there are no UV/LED lights used. We provide custom-made trays that give maximum coverage and fit for your teeth. There is not enough evidence to support the fact that the light activated systems to anything but dehydrate the teeth which only provide modest, short last results.
31. Is there an in-office appointment with my dentist?
Not anymore! Enlighten’s Evo4 3-week whitening treatment will be carried out in the comfort of your own home. However, if you do have any issues throughout your whitening treatment, please contact your dentist.
32. Does the teeth whitening gel need to be refrigerated?
Yes, the Enlighten gel needs to be refrigerated. We have designed the gels to be pH stable so we can provide maximum results.
33. I have to stay away for a few nights between my treatment, how do I carry the gels?
To avoid complicated situations, it is always best to time the whitening process when you are not traveling. If an unpredicted situation occurs however, you can pack your gels with 1-2 icepacks and keep out of direct sunlight and this should hold for travel. When you reach your destination, refrigerate the gels.
34. My gels have been out of the fridge for a long period of time and I feel uncomfortable using them. What shall I do?
If this happens, please get in contact with your dentist to see if there is anything that can be done regarding replacing the gels. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you need further guidance.
35. How long does it take for tetracycline-stained teeth to lighten to B1?
Tetracycline staining can take anywhere between 2 weeks to 3 months to whiten depending on the severity of the case.
36. I suffer from sinus problems and it is difficult sleeping with the trays in, what is the daytime routine?
The daytime whitening protocol is using the gels for a minimum of 3-4 hours daily to achieve good results.
37. Some of my teeth are transparent?
Some areas can look more translucent as they dehydrate, this will return to normal within 2-3 weeks of ending treatment.
38. How many hours is it safe to keep your trays in?
We recommend keeping them in for as long as you’re asleep (as close to 8 hours as possible). If for whatever reason you have them in for longer than that, the gel won’t cause any damage to your teeth, it just stops working.
We care about all the questions and queries you guys have asked us, so we hope you find this page helpful and that we have answered any of your problems. If there is anything else you wish to know, speak to your dentist as they should be your first port of call, but if it’s us you want to speak to then send us an email at info@enlightensmiles.com or contact us via our WEBSITE.
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Learn more about the Enlighten Teeth Whitening System here
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How long do the gels last for top ups post initial 3 week course? Is there an expiry date for them please if continue to keep in fridge?
How can I purchase further toothpaste or gel if needed? Directly via you or through dentist?
Many thanks
Hello Sarah,
Thank you for contacting us! All of our gels have expiry dates written on the syringes. If you have any gel left over after your whitening treatment, you will be able to use this for any top-up you may want to do, however, we do recommend purchasing a fresh gel through your dentist, as with a new syringe, you will be able to follow our top-up regime 🙂
You are able to purchase new toothpastes through our website, click this link – https://patient.enlightensmiles.com/collections/all
Hope this helped!
From the Enlighten team 🙂
Hi, I am experiencing extreme pain and sensitivity on moving to stronger syringes and have no swaps left
Hello there,
Thank you for contacting us. We are so sorry to hear you are experiencing sensitivity. You could try put the Enlighten Serum toothpaste in the trays and leave it on for 30 mins at a different time than whitening, at a minimum of 2-hour difference. This contains a particle that is designed to help with sensitivity. You could also ask your dentist if you could purchase more swabs from them if you found they were helpful.
In cases of extreme sensitivity, we advise to contact the dentist, inform them of the situation and discuss further options. Depending on what the reason is, they may consider switching you to day time whitening, switching to lower concentration gel only, etc.
Hope this helped!
I have been using my first week syringe.
I have been putting it in the fridge with the others after every use but I realised I didn’t put the cap back on the syringe will this make the gel less effective ?
How white should the teeth be after the first week ?
Hello Lauren,
Thank you for getting in touch with us! No, it will not make the gel less effective, however do continue to place the top back with the other gels as this will help prevent leakage and will keep the gels fresh.
Every patient will be different, so we are unable to really give you the exact answer to how white your teeth should be after the first week.
Hope this helps!
From the Enlighten Team.
Hi I am starting my enlightenment treatment tonight, after week 2 the dentist has told me to go back for the final stage of the whitening treatment it the receptionist cannot book me i until after 3 and a half weeks, will this affect the treatment ?
Hello Jayne,
Thank you for contacting us, there is no need to worry. What we recommend is to do your at home whitening treatment as advise and then save 2 nights worth of gel for the few days just before your appointment.
Hope this helps!
From the Enlighten Team 🙂
Hi, I’ve had my 3 weeks of treatments and the colour wasn’t a B1 so the dentist gave me week 2 syringes (16%) to use for another week.
I’m not overly happy with the result and I still don’t think they’re a B1. I felt maybe the dentist just said they were a B1 to get rid of me. I’ve left with a 16% syringe to use every 4 weeks and a whitening toothpaste. Could I get a second opinion anywhere? I spent more money and used Enlighten because of the B1 guarantee.
Thanks
Heidi
Hello Heidi,
Sorry to hear you are not happy with your results. The shade B1 is the whitest natural shade there is, but the same shade can look slightly different from patient to patient. The only way to know for sure whether you are at B1 or not is to have the shade measured and from what you mentioned, your dentist has told you that you reached B1. However, if you still suspect that that is not the case and you have not reached the guarantee yet, you could ask for a second opinion with a different dentist, you should only be aware that you are likely to be asked to book a consultation first. Alternatively you could contact your current dentist again and get them to measure your shade and show you for your information. If it turns out you are at B1 but would still like to go whiter, there are other treatment you could consider. If you are not at B1, they may be able to still help further – perhaps look at whether your trays fit correctly, whether you used the treatment correctly, whether you classify as a difficult case, etc (although they would have probably done this the first time around). Unfortunately, we cannot advise without seeing you physically. Sorry about this!
Hope this helps!
From the Enlighten Team.
Hi, hope you’re well. In my kit the actual moulds of teeth were included- am I supposed to keep these for some reason? Also I received the toothpaste but serum- what is the difference between these and should I have received the serum? Many thanks.
Hello Ella,
Thank you for contacting us. The moulds of the teeth can be stored away in a dry place, if you ever in the future wanted new whitening trays, the moulds can be given to your dentist and made easily this way.
The Enlighten Serum is to be used 2 weeks prior to the whitening treatment to help prevent any sensitivity you may get, (if you do get any at all), and you will also receive the Enlighten White which you’re meant to start using after you finished the treatment to keep them white and shiny.
Hope this helps! if you have any further questions, please contact your dentist.
thanks,
The Enlighten Team.
Thank you! I never received the serum but am on week 2 and it’s not terribly sensitive. If your teeth are different shades at the start of the process does that mean they will be at the end? Or will they all become the same shade? At the moment some are whiter than others and I am coming up to halfway through treatment . Thank you
Hello Ella,
I would advice that you ask personal clinical questions directly to your dentist, as it would be difficult to give you advice on your teeth without seeing them, or knowing much about your case. the colour of your teeth should all end up the same colour, however it depends on the reason as to why they are all different colours. Best check with your dentist as they will be able to give you a more accurate answer 🙂
thanks,
The Enlighten Team.
Hiya,
I have kept my syringes in the fridge, however they are in the black bubble wrap zip bag they come in. I’ve just thought, is that okay? Or do they need to be out of the bag?
Thanks
Hello Aaron,
The bubble bags are designed to keep the gels cold. Its totally fine they are in the bubble bag in the fridge. 🙂
Hello,
I have just started my enlighten treatment, arranged by my dentist. I didn’t ask her but I want to check the gel won’t affect my metal permanent retainers, or the adhesive?
Also, how long does the sensitivity last?
Hello Lottie,
Thank you for contacting us, no it shouldn’t, but please check with your dentist.
Thanks,
From the Enlighten Team.
Hi,
I have got the Enlighten Kit from my dentist. In your website it includes a whitening toothpaste. I only received the serum.
It is misleading for customers.
Either it is included or not.
Thanks
Hey M.D,
We’re very sorry to hear about you not receiving the Enlighten White toothpaste. We designed the system to be used a certain way but we have no control over how it is provided by the dentists to their patients: whether it is in full or only parts of it. If you were offered the Evo3 system (the previous system), then the Evo-White toothpaste is only given to you after your final appointment with the dentist. We recommend contacting your dentist and finding out the reason you weren’t given it as it’s hard for us to answer this question.
Thank you.
The Enlighten Team.
Can I take a break between week one and two if I am going away for a week and won’t have a fridge? What temperature do the gels need to be kept below?
Hi Ellie, we do not recommend taking long breaks during treatment. Gels must be kept at normal fridge temperatures (between 2 and 5 degrees). Hope this helps.
My dentist told me it would be ok to use enlighten for a week then restart treatment after I return from holiday. However, I have just read that you don’t recommend this.
Hey Laura,
Thanks for contacting us:) We would recommend holding out till after your trip. We say not to break your whitening treatment up if you can help it as we want you to get the best results possible 🙂 If you have any other questions or queries then please contact us on – 020 7424 3270, and we will be happy to help 🙂
my dentist said this would be fine too? they said i could take the treatment over a year with lots of breaks if I wanted…
Used my trays for the first time, they do not fit the teeth all the way to the back is this correct feels very odd.
Carol Ellis
Hey Carol!
Our bespoke whitening trays are only made to fit your teeth up until the 6’s, (which is your first molar). We have designed them this way to ensure better coverage on the rest of the teeth, less movement and a better overall fit. If you have any further questions, then please don’t hesitate in contacting us on – 020 7424 3270, and one of our team will be happy to help you 🙂
Hi, if the effects of my initial whitening was not optimal or have faded, can I repeat the entire Enlighten treatment (eg redo consecutive 2 weeks of whitening with whitening gel, rather than once every month top up as recommended)?
Hi Melanie, in theory you can, especially if the first course was a long time ago but it is not always necessary. Sometimes top-up is enough and a lot more cost-effective. Always check with your dentist and ask for their advice. If the results weren’t long-lasting, there will be a reason for that and your dentist should be able to tell you what that reason would be in order to avoid that next time. Hope this helps.
I have just done two nights with the trays and gel. I can taste the gel in my mouth while they are in (I wake up during the night). Does this mean they may be leaking? They feel well sealed but it feels like I may be swallowing some of the gel.
Rosanne, thank you for getting in touch. The gel is minty so the fact that you can taste it a little isn’t a problem as long as you’re not swallowing big quantities of gel and it doesn’t necessarily mean that the tray is leaking. The gel breaks down to water oxygen and urea, your body can deal well with all of those if I ingested in small amounts. There should be only a little excess of gel when you put the tray in which you wipe away with a tissue – if no more is coming out, then that should ok. But always check with your dentist if you’re worried, they can double check that the trays are a tight fit.
I am on day 6 of week 2 of englighten. The sensitivity has been really intense since the beginning of my treatment but I have persevered and taken pain relief to help ease the pain where possible. I have ran out of desensitising swabs and todays pain is almost unbearable. Will there be a huge difference if I finish week 2 a day early or maybe switch to using the week 2 gel for 1 hour a day until it runs out then then moving onto week 3?
Hi Catherine, finishing week 2 one day shouldn’t have a huge effect on your results. You can keep that night’s worth of gel for top-ups 😊
Hi there, do you provide lifetime warranty of trays? Eg if my tray wears out, or if my teeth have shifted overtime and they no longer fit. Thanks!
Hello Rebecca, thank you for getting in touch. No, we can not offer lifetime warranty on the trays. They are very well manufactured and they are durable however once the trays are in your care at home, you are responsible for keeping them in good shape and not distorting them. Avoid cleaning them with hot water and avoid keeping next to a source of heat as that leads to distortion. Always store them in the case provided to avoid losing them. Hope this helped!
Thanks for letting me know. What are my options if my trays no longer fit? They are still in good conditions but my teeth has shifted so the mould is no longer tight when I use them for top ups. What are my options?
Hello again. You’d have to get new trays made if that’s the case – this can be done through your dentist.
I am applying a pea sized amount to my trays as instructed by the dentist but still have a well over half the syringe left after completing week 1 of the treatment. Is this okay? Furthermore, you state that the B1 shade is guaranteed – what happens if this is not the case. Will cost of further treatment be covered by you or will I be reimbursed for the treatment?
Hello Jay,
Thanks for contacting us here at Enlighten. Yes, it is perfectly normal to have some left over whitening gel, as this will vary from patient to patient due to the size of your teeth. Smaller teeth, means less gel in your tooth compartments. As for the guarantee, yes – we do guarantee shade B1, however since you paid your dentist (not us), you will have to liaise with them. The guarantee works from us to the dentist and from the dentist to you. Hope this helps.
From, The Enlighten Team.
Hi
How much is cost enlighten whitening
Hello Ingrida, we are the manufacturer of the product though and professional teeth whitening can only be done and purchased through a dentist so we cannot provide a price. It tends to range between £400 – £600. If you want to find an Enlighten provider near you, please click this link and pop your postcode in 👉🏼 http://find.enlightensmiles.com. Hope this helped, if there is anything else we can do for you, please let us know.