Teeth whitening · Designer Smiles, Solihull
Your own teeth, several shades lighter.
Professional whitening at Designer Smiles uses trays made to your teeth and dentist-strength gel you wear at home, £200 all in on the current offer, half the usual £400. It lightens the colour of the enamel itself, not just the stains on it, and takes nothing off the tooth. A check-up comes first, so it is done on healthy teeth and gums.
In short
How whitening works.
Whitening gel is a peroxide that passes into the enamel and breaks up the coloured molecules inside it, so the tooth itself becomes lighter. A dentist can use gel strong enough to do that; shop kits and toothpastes are limited by law to strengths that only lift surface stain. Here the gel goes into thin trays made from a scan of your own teeth, which you wear at home for the time your dentist sets.
Is it right for your teeth?
What whitening lightens, and what it does not.
Whitening works on natural enamel. It does nothing to porcelain, resin or metal, and it should not be done on a mouth that needs treatment first. The check-up before whitening is where those things are found, which is why it is not optional.
Whitening lightens
- Teeth darkened with age, one of the most common reasons people ask.
- Staining from tea, coffee, red wine and tobacco, after a clean has taken the surface layer off.
- A yellow or grey cast that toothpaste never shifted.
- A single dark tooth that has had a root canal, by sealing gel inside the tooth for about a week: internal whitening.
- Teeth before bonding or veneers, so the new work is matched to the lighter shade.
Whitening does not
- Change crowns, veneers, fillings or bonding. Those keep their colour, which is why whitening comes before any of them, never after.
- Fully lift deep grey banding from childhood antibiotics; it lightens, but less, and your dentist will say so honestly at the check-up.
- Go ahead with decay or gum disease present. The gel would aggravate both; they are treated first.
- Apply to under-18s, which the law does not permit except for a medical reason.
How it runs
Five steps, most of them at home.
- 1
Check-up
Teeth and gums examined, your starting shade recorded, and anything that needs treating first found. A new patient examination starts from £27.90.
- 2
The scan
Your teeth are scanned, no putty, and the trays are made to fit them exactly, so the gel sits on the enamel and not on your gums.
- 3
The fit
The trays and gel are handed over with the routine written down: how much gel, how long each wear, how many days.
- 4
At home
You wear the trays as instructed, usually over about two weeks, and watch the shade change day by day.
- 5
The result
Your shade is checked against the one recorded at the start. Keep the trays: a top-up later brings the colour back without starting again.
What it is like
A fortnight of trays, and a tooth that may twinge.
Some people feel a sharp, short sensitivity in a tooth or two while they are whitening, especially to cold. It passes when the course ends, and a sensitive toothpaste in the trays for a night settles it sooner. If it is more than that, you pause for a day; the result is the same.
While you are whitening, the enamel takes stain more easily, so tea, coffee, red wine and curry are best kept for after the course. How long the result lasts depends on the same list: with a clean at each check-up and the occasional top-up, most people keep the shade for years.
What it costs
One price, trays and gel included.
Whitening here is a single fee that covers the scan, the custom trays and the whitening gel. Nothing is added for the fit or the shade check. A hygiene visit first is not compulsory, but a clean lifts the surface stain the gel would otherwise have to work through, so the whitening starts from a better place.
From the Designer Smiles fee guide, September 2026.
Toothpaste, shop kits or the dentist
Three ways to whiter teeth, set side by side.
The difference is the strength of the gel and whether anyone has looked at your teeth first. Here is the honest comparison.
| What it does | How much lighter | Checked by a dentist first? | Cost | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitening toothpaste | Mild abrasives and low-strength agents polish surface stain | A shade or so, over months, on the surface only | No | A few pounds | Keeping a lighter shade once you have it |
| Shop kits and strips | Low-strength gel in one-size trays or strips | A little; the strength the law allows without a dentist is low | No | Tens of pounds | Very mild staining on healthy teeth |
| Dentist whitening | Dentist-strength gel in trays made to your teeth | Several shades; lightens the enamel itself | Yes, always | £400 | Age darkening, real staining, a lighter shade that lasts |
Whitening is a dental treatment in the UK: only a dentist, or a hygienist or therapist on a dentist’s prescription, may legally use gel at the strengths that change the colour of a tooth.
Who does it
Any of our three dentists.
4 Manor Square, SolihullDr Aadam Binamin, Dr Uthmaan Binamin and Dr Abbaas Binamin all provide whitening, and each does the check-up first themselves. If your teeth need something before they can be whitened, a filling or a clean, you are told at that visit and given the price, so the whitening starts when it should and not before.
About the practiceWhat patients say
In their own words.
Tracey Hopkins★★★★★I had my teeth cleaned today plus a filling. I honestly hadn’t been to the dentist for years but was forced to get treatment for a broken tooth. The dentist was first class and his lovely assistant. Teeth are gleaming white and no broken tooth.
Jessica S.★★★★★Really lovely staff, bright and airy place and my teeth were super clean!
Deborah P.★★★★★Very professional and relaxed atmosphere. Thorough examination and all options explained in detail. Highly recommended.
Questions
Asked before people book.
How much does teeth whitening cost?
£200 at Designer Smiles on the current offer, half the usual £400, which covers the scan, the custom trays and the gel. If you are new to the practice the examination beforehand starts from £27.90.
How long does it take?
Two visits at the practice, the scan and the fit, then about two weeks of wearing the trays at home. Most people see the change within the first week.
How long does it last?
Years, for most people, with a clean at each check-up and the occasional top-up in the same trays. Heavy tea, coffee, red wine or smoking bring the colour back sooner; a top-up brings it down again.
Does it hurt?
It does not hurt, but some teeth twinge with cold while you are whitening. It stops when the course ends, and a sensitive toothpaste used in the trays for a night eases it sooner.
Is it safe for my teeth?
Yes, done this way: on teeth a dentist has checked, in trays that keep the gel off your gums, at a strength a dentist is allowed to prescribe. Whitening does not soften or thin enamel. Whitening on unchecked teeth, with decay or gum disease present, is what causes the problems people worry about.
Will it whiten my crowns, veneers or fillings?
No. Porcelain and resin do not change colour, so if you have them at the front, whitening is planned around them, or they are replaced afterwards to match the new shade. That is also why whitening comes before bonding or veneers, never after.
I have one dark tooth. Can that be whitened?
Often, yes. A tooth that has darkened after a root canal can be whitened from the inside: the gel is sealed inside the tooth for about a week, then cleaned out and the tooth filled. Your dentist checks the tooth first, because the cause decides the method.
How white will my teeth go?
Several shades lighter than they are now, to a natural white for your teeth rather than one flat colour. Your starting shade is recorded at the check-up so you can see the difference at the end. Grey banding from childhood antibiotics lightens less than yellowing does, and your dentist will tell you what to expect before you pay.
Can I get whitening on the NHS?
No. Whitening is cosmetic, so it is private everywhere in England. Our everyday prices start from the NHS band figures; this page sets them side by side.
Where are you, and how do I book?
4 Manor Square, Solihull, B91 3PX, just off the High Street, with free parking for patients. Book online, call 0121 709 3821, or message us on WhatsApp.
Read before you decide
The questions behind the price, answered.
Lighter teeth, checked first.
A check-up, a scan, trays made to your teeth, and £200 all in on the current offer. Book the examination and the whitening follows when your teeth are ready for it.
4 Manor Square, Solihull B91 3PX · [email protected]
