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Dental Office Whitening
Whitening teeth in the dental office has
been performed for more than 30 years. It
usually takes about an hour. A solution or
gel of 30 to 40% hydrogen peroxide is
applied to the teeth, several times. There
are different systems available. Some use a
laser, some a special light, and some just
the solution itself. They are equally
effective. Yellow and brown stained teeth,
due to age, are easiest to lighten.
Fillings, crowns (caps), and fake teeth will
not lighten. Office whitening gives faster
initial results than home tray whitening
however it is not as effective as home tray
whitening. Much of the office whitening is
due to dehydration of the teeth. This is
when moisture is prevented from touching the
teeth, no saliva or water. During the office
whitening technique the patient‘s mouth is
open and the teeth are kept dry. If no
bleaching solution were applied to the
teeth, the teeth would appear lighter simply
because of this. Teeth whitened by office
whitening turn darker after two weeks and go
back to their original shade 41 % of the
time after one year. Therefore office
whitening and home whitening should be
combined. Here at Delmarva Dental Services
we offer a money saving combination of the
two.
The first visit involves an evaluation of
the teeth to be whitened, determination of
shade, and selection of the best method for
your individual needs. After this an
appointment can be scheduled for the process.
Home Tray Whitening
Home tray whitening has been performed for
millions of people. We have been providing
this procedure at Delmarva Dental Services
since 1989. The technique involves making an
impression of the teeth and pouring a stone
model. From this model a form fitting custom
tray is made. A whitening gel is placed in
the tray consisting of 10 to 22 % carbamide
peroxide or hydrogen peroxide. The tray is
worn for several hours during the day or
overnight. The higher the percentage of gel
and the longer the tray is worn the better
the results. Temporary cold sensitivity or
sore gums can result occasionally. Reducing
the length of time the tray is worn will
alleviate this. Yellow and brown stained
teeth due to age, are the easiest to whiten.
Fillings, crowns (caps) and fake teeth will
not lighten and may have to be redone to
match the lighter surrounding teeth.
Improvement is usually seen immediately and
best results after about 7 days. The teeth
remain lighter for several years but will
slowly darken, requiring some touching up to
maintain your selected shade.
Store Whiteners
The whitening products available in the
dental care section of pharmacies, grocery
stores and discount stores fall into the
following categories: toothpastes, rinses,
gels and adhesive strips. Products that
claim whitening are considered cosmetics and
are not regulated by the Federal Drug
Administration. Therefore their claims are
not subject to verification of
effectiveness. All toothpastes can be
considered whitening because the act of
brushing will remove stains. In order for a
product to be truly effective in whitening,
it must contain oxygenating agents such as
carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide.
These react with the pigments in the tooth.
The longer they remain in contact with the
tooth the better it whitens. Gels work
better than liquids and toothpastes.
Adhesive strips work better than gels unless
the gels can be placed in a tray that adapts
extremely well to the teeth. "Store bought"
trays do not fit well. The shelf life of the
oxygenating agents is short which means they
could lose their effectiveness before
opening. Always check the manufacture and
expiration dates. This fact, together with
the lack of contact time is the reason
toothpastes are poor whiteners. Yellow and
brown stained teeth, due to age, will
lighten the best. There are some that just
won’t respond to whitening. Also fillings
and crowns (caps) do not lighten and may
appear darker after teeth have been
lightened. Whitened teeth may occasionally
need to be touched up to maintain the
selected shade.
Whitestrips
Whitestrips are plastic adhesive strips
containing hydrogen peroxide or sodium hydroxide. Several companies
presently sell whitestrips in retail stores. All products work well. As with
all forms of whitening: office, home tray or whitestrips the higher the
percentage of the active ingredient the more effective. The chemistry of
whitening has not changed for 35 years, only the methods of application.
The technique is easy. Just open the
packaged strip, affix it as closely as
possible to your teeth and wear for at least
30 minutes. If possible, you should brush
first. The disadvantage of whitestrips over
home tray whitening is when teeth are not
straight the strips do not contact all of
the teeth uniformly. This will cause uneven
whitening. The advantage to whitestrips over
home tray is that it is less costly. As with
all whitening it does not lighten
crowns,
porcelain veneers or
fillings. |
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