Medically reviewed by Dr. Aya Refat, general dentist — cosmetic dentistry, Pearl Beads Dental Clinic, Al-Salamah, Jeddah. Last updated: 29 September 2026.
The short version
- Our prices are published: Zoom whitening SAR 1,450 and Everbright whitening SAR 800 — excluding VAT.
- Whitening does not whiten fillings, crowns or veneers. If they are at the front of your mouth, whitening may increase the colour mismatch between them and your teeth.
- An examination comes first. Decay, inflamed gums or tartar means treatment first — and a cleaning session here is SAR 250.
- Not all discolouration responds. Old intrinsic staining is not treated by whitening, and the answer there is a different and more expensive cosmetic route.
- Temporary sensitivity is expected in some cases and settles within a day or two.
- We do not promise a specific shade or a permanent result. The outcome varies with the cause of the staining, and it lasts as long as you maintain it.
Why teeth change colour
The distinction here is the most important line in this article, because it decides whether whitening will help you at all:
- Extrinsic staining — on the enamel surface, from coffee, tea, turmeric, smoking and sometimes certain mouthwashes. This is what responds to whitening, and a good part of it may come off with a cleaning alone.
- Intrinsic staining — within the dentine itself: age, an old knock to the tooth, a tooth that darkened after its nerve died, staining from childhood medication, or fluorosis. This mostly does not respond to whitening, and the answer is a veneer or a crown — a more expensive procedure with its own considerations.
- A naturally darker shade — some people have more translucent enamel, so the dentine colour beneath shows through. That is not staining, and whitening helps it only slightly.
This distinction is what a five-minute examination establishes, and it is what stops you paying for a session whose result you will not see.
What we offer, and what it costs
- Zoom whitening — SAR 1,450 (excluding VAT). An in-clinic session using a whitening gel and an activating light, in stages within the same appointment.
- Everbright whitening — SAR 800 (excluding VAT). Also an in-clinic session, with a gentler technique and a lower price.
- Scaling and polishing — SAR 250 (excluding VAT). It precedes whitening in many cases, and sometimes replaces the need for it.
- Examination and X-rays are free if you begin treatment in the same visit; otherwise SAR 150 with the specialist and SAR 100 with a general dentist.
Which of the two suits you? That is decided after the examination: the degree of staining and its cause, your sensitivity, and what you want to reach. We will not sell you the more expensive one if the cheaper one is enough for your case, and we will not promise you a Zoom result from an Everbright session.
When we do not recommend whitening
This section exists because it saves you money:
- Fillings, crowns or veneers on the front teeth. Restorative materials do not whiten. The result may be lighter teeth with more visible restorations. If you want an even shade, the answer is replacing those restorations after whitening — a decision and a cost you should know before you start, not after.
- Active decay or bleeding gums. Gel on a decayed tooth or inflamed gums means pain and irritation, and treatment comes first.
- Already severe tooth sensitivity, or widespread gum recession with wear at the neck of the tooth.
- Old intrinsic staining — we will tell you plainly that the response will be limited, and we may recommend you do not pay for it.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding, and young patients — we postpone.
- An unrealistic expectation. If what you want is an advertising white that does not look like teeth, whitening will not get there, and we say so before you book.
Does whitening damage teeth?
Whitening carried out in a clinic with approved materials does not “dissolve enamel”. What actually happens is that the material penetrates the enamel and breaks down the stain molecules, and this may be accompanied by temporary sensitivity that appears after the session and settles within a day or two, managed with a sensitivity toothpaste and avoiding very cold things.
The real damage comes from elsewhere: non-medical whitening products, one-size trays that do not fit your mouth so the gel leaks onto the gums, and “natural” recipes such as lemon and apple cider vinegar — those do dissolve enamel, and enamel does not come back. Activated charcoal abrades the surface and does not whiten dentine.
How long does the result last?
From several months to two years, and the difference is entirely in your habits: coffee, tea, dark fizzy drinks and smoking bring the staining back faster. The first 48 hours after the session matter most — the enamel is more receptive to pigment, so we ask for a light-coloured diet: no coffee, tea, cola, dark sauces, turmeric or smoking.
And there is no “whiten once for life”. Maintenance is closer to a six-monthly cleaning plus reducing what stains, than to repeating the session every two months.
What we do not promise
We do not publish a shade your case will reach, we do not guarantee a result, and we do not show you another patient’s result for you to measure yours against. The cause of staining differs, enamel thickness differs, and the response to the material differs from person to person. What we commit to is telling you before the session what we expect for your case, and telling you frankly if what we expect is too little to be worth what you would pay.
Three myths we hear every week
- “Whitening dissolves enamel” — false. Approved in-clinic whitening does not remove enamel. What does remove it is lemon, vinegar and abrasive scrubbing.
- “Charcoal or baking soda whitens teeth” — false. They abrade a surface layer so teeth look temporarily cleaner; they do not change the colour of the dentine, and they harm enamel with repetition.
- “Whitening adjusts the colour of a crown” — false. Crowns, veneers and fillings do not change. Their colour is corrected by replacing them, not by whitening.
Questions our patients actually ask
How many shades will I lighten?
We do not give a number before the examination, and any clinic that gives you a firm number before seeing your teeth is giving you an invented one. After the examination we tell you what to expect for your case, and the cause of the staining is what determines it.
Is whitening painful?
The session itself is not painful. Some cases feel sensitivity “twinges” for a few hours afterwards, settling within a day or two.
I have an event in three days — can I do it?
Usually yes, but book a week before rather than a day: the examination may show you need a cleaning or a filling first, and you may need a couple of days for any sensitivity to settle.
Is home whitening better?
Custom trays made to fit your mouth under a dentist’s supervision are a reasonable option for certain cases, but they are slower and depend on your compliance. What we warn against are off-the-shelf products with one-size trays — the gel leaks onto the gums and the result is uneven.
My teeth are clean but I do not like the colour — do I need whitening or a cleaning?
A good question, and one of the most common we get. Much of the “yellow” is a layer of extrinsic staining that a SAR 250 cleaning removes. The examination tells the two apart in minutes.
Can I whiten straight after orthodontic treatment?
We wait two to four weeks after the braces come off, so the teeth settle and adhesive residue is cleaned away, then whiten. Whitening while fixed braces are still on leaves colour differences under the bracket positions.
Who will handle your case
Dr. Aya Refat says: “The choice of whitening does not depend on shade alone, but on the health of the teeth and gums and the cause of the staining. That is why an initial examination helps in choosing the most suitable method and achieving a safer, more realistic result.”
The clinic has worked in Al-Salamah, Jeddah since 2017, with five treatment rooms and specialists in periodontics, orthodontics and endodontics, so if the examination shows your case needs treatment before whitening it does not leave the building. See cosmetic dentistry and whitening, gum disease treatment, or all our services.
Book an examination
Examination and X-rays are free when you begin treatment in the same visit, and you leave with a written plan and its full cost.
Pearl Beads Dental Clinic — Najmat Sari Building, 3rd floor, 6715 Sari Sub-Road, Al-Salamah, Jeddah 23436.
Hours: Saturday – Thursday, 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Closed Friday.
Phone: 053 071 1110