How bonding responds to colour
Teeth whitening treatments and products provide an effective and simple way to remove stains caused by foods, drinks and habits over time. Some of the biggest teeth-staining culprits include juicy, colourful berries and tomato-based sauces, coffee, tea, caffeinated fizzy drinks and red wine, smoking and chewing tobacco.
Many people wonder how to whiten composite bonding, however, it’s a different story.
The colour of the bonding material is designed to match your natural tooth colour. When it’s bonded to your natural teeth, no one except dental professionals can tell which teeth have had the treatment.
Unlike tooth enamel, though, bonding resin is non-porous. On your natural teeth, stains form when the staining agents penetrate your teeth's pores – and whitening agents penetrate the surface of your teeth to whiten them.
Because of the non-porous nature of resin, whitening agents can't penetrate it. So, your resin-bonded teeth can look stained or discoloured in certain areas due to the contrast with your bleached natural teeth. And like any plastic item, resin can become discoloured over time when exposed to various staining agents.
Simply put, bonding resin can appear stained, but you can't whiten it with teeth whitening treatments or products.