Tooth Bleaching
home tooth bleaching
Tooth whitening is a unique dentist controlled take home bleaching method. We use a whitening gel called "opalescence", which gives sustained release of the active bleaching agent, and is a heavily viscous gel so sticks to your teeth whilst bleaching.
Opalescence is dispensed by the dentist to the patient in unit dose syringes and must be used in the custom made tray.
Opalescence has been shown to be effective in 95% of cases for removing colours and/or stains of aging, generalised staining from coffee and tea, nicotine, etc. and even colours present from tooth eruption. varying degrees of success can be noted with tetracycline staining and fluorosis.
Dentists can now restore teeth to lighter colours in a conservative manner without the need for crowns and veneers, though this is dependent on the condition of the tooth at the time.
FAQ's
How long should I wear the trays for ?
This depends on the amount of lightening that you desire and the original shade of the teeth. If your teeth are quite dark or very yellow/ grey/ tetracycline stained it will take longer to whiten the teeth. If you are not experiencing any sensitivity you may wear the trays for at least a few hours and then sleep with the trays in your mouth. It is very important to remove all the excess material around the gums or the palate prior to sleeping with the trays. The darker your teeth, the longer your teeth will take to get lighter. Tetracycline stained teeth can take 6 months or up to one year to whiten the teeth. Some teeth can whiten after one month. If you cannot wear the trays for a few days because of your hectic schedule, it does not matter. Whiten your teeth according to your own schedule. Some people put the trays in after dinner and wear them for the first hour while watching TV or doing the dishes. Then if everything is fine they retain the trays and sleep with them in the mouth.
What do I do if l have any sensitivity?
Sensitivity of teeth is the most common side effect of home tooth whitening. In fact many patients suffer from sensitive teeth anyway. This occurs usually around the necks of the teeth where the gums have receded. If you are experiencing any sensitivity you should stop tooth whitening your teeth for a few days. You can resume after about 3-4 days. If the teeth become ultra sensitive you can place a sensitive toothpaste into the tooth whitening trays for an hour a day. That will usually stop the sensitivity. Alternatively you can rub the sensitising toothpaste into the gum margins with your finger 5 times per day for a few days. If you are at all concerned, please call your dentist.
What happens if the teeth do not whiten evenly?
If the teeth have white spots on them before tooth whitening, these spots will appear whiter during the first few days, however the contrast between the spots and the rest of the tooth will be less and eventually they will not be noticeable. Sometimes the dentist can do a special procedure called Microabrasion for you where the white spots can be more permanently removed. Ask your dentist about the procedure if you are concerned about this. You may notice new white spots occurring on the teeth while you are undertaking the tooth whitening treatment. These white spots were already present on the teeth before tooth whitening. As the teeth become lighter they become more visible. Do not worry. As the whole tooth itself becomes lighter these spots will fade. You may notice these white spots immediately after a tooth whitening session or in the morning if you have been wearing the trays for the whole night. Some teeth may appear banded with lighter/ whiter areas. Again these banding are originally present on the tooth. When the tooth is dark these bandings are not obvious. As the tooth becomes lighter, the lighter parts of the tooth will lighten first followed by the darker banded area. After a week or so these will not be noticeable any more.
How will my teeth feel?
Normally the teeth feel very clean after the tooth whitening procedure. The tooth whitening materials also have an indirect effect on the gums in helping them to heal or improving the health of the gums. This is how the technique was invented as it was first used to heal gum irritation during orthodontic treatment.
What about my smile?
Your smile will appear brighter as a bonus. It is very rare, but sometimes the teeth do not lighten at all. If this happens and you are wearing the tooth whitening trays as recommended, you may need to try a different tooth whitening product or a slightly higher concentration of the tooth whitening material. If you have white fillings in the front teeth that match the existing shade of your teeth before you whiten your teeth, they may not match the teeth afterwards. This is because your teeth can lighten, but the fillings do not lighten. When the desired colour has been achieved, the dentist can replace these fillings with a lighter shade of filling material to match the new shade of your teeth. Normally the dentist will wait a week before changing the fillings.
How long does the tooth whitening last? Will I have to whiten my teeth again?
Normally the new white colour of your teeth keeps quite well. The effect is dependent on what has caused the teeth to discolour in the first place. If you drink lots of coffee, red wine, cola drinks the effect may darken slightly. Some patients do a top up treatment after 3-4 years. Some patients do not need to.
Does Tooth whitening harm the teeth or gums?
Safety studies have shown that tooth whitening teeth using the dentist prescribed home tooth whitening technique is perfectly safe on the teeth, cheeks, gum and tissue of the mouth. Tooth whitening the teeth with the dentist prescribed kits is equivalent to drinking one soda drink. The tooth whitening material has a neutral pH.
There are problems with the tooth whitening kits that are purchased over the counter. Although they are inexpensive, they normally contain an acid rinse, which can damage the teeth or thin down the enamel of the teeth. This acid rinse can be extremely harmful to the teeth. There was a case where a patient purchased the kit over the counter to whiten the teeth. The teeth went darker and the patient continued over using the treatment. This was because the acid rinse had worn the enamel away and the darker shade was the dentine that was exposedIt is not however advisable to whiten your teeth if you smoke. It is best to stop smoking for at least 3 weeks before commencing the tooth whitening procedure. Smoking causes the teeth to darken anyway and the effects will be diminished.
The technique of Tooth whitening Teeth is not for everybody. There are some situations where tooth whitening teeth is contraindicated such as where the front teeth are already crowned or where there are very large fillings on the front teeth or where the teeth are already excessively worn and there is tooth surface loss. The most ideal situation is where there is not much wrong with the teeth except for the colour which has become more yellow with age.
power bleaching
