Teeth Bleaching
Tooth whitening is a popular and conservative method
of removing dental stains and whitening teeth. It is
believed that teeth bleaching is a result of the oxidation
of chromogenic materials by free radicals of the peroxide.
There are two principal ways of teeth bleaching:
There are two principal ways of teeth bleaching:
1. Power bleaching
This form of teeth bleaching involves high concentrations
of hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. The most
common teeth bleaching agent for power bleaching is
hydrogen peroxide at concentrations of about 30 to 35%.
Due to their caustic nature, these tooth whitening materials
have the potential to cause soft tissue injuries, which
usually heal uneventfully within 1 to 2 weeks. Therefore
this way of teeth bleaching is performed only in the
dental office with appropriate protection of the oral
soft tissues.
Recent studies have shown that intense light sources
as used for in-office teeth bleaching elevate the temperatures
of the dental pulps and may affect tooth sensitivity
and pulpal health. The dental pulp contains nerves,
blood vessels, and connective tissue.
2. Professional teeth bleaching at home
This is a more common way of bleaching teeth. It
involves custom-made bleaching trays and syringes containing
a safe bleaching gel. Teeth bleaching gels for home
use are usually of thick viscosity, pleasant-tasting,
and contain carbamide peroxide at different concentrations.
Tooth whitening involves two short office visits. The
first one is for taking impressions for the custom-fabricated
trays and the second one to pick up the trays and the
bleaching agent. One needs to wear the gel-containing
trays only two or more hours for a few days. The teeth
bleaching results on yellow/brown teeth are most dramatic.
Some patients may experience some sensitivity which
usually diminishes during the course of treatment. Some
teeth bleaching gels contain potassium nitrate which
seems to reduce tooth sensitivity.
Teeth bleaching at home has no influence on the enamel
wear rate. Carbamide peroxide does not damage surfaces
of existing fillings. However, remember that fillings
don't bleach.
In severe cases of dental staining, such as tetracycline
stains, even a combination of power bleaching and professional
teeth bleaching at home may not yield desirable results.
In such cases, the only remedy to create a natural beautiful
look is the placement of porcelain
veneers
top^
|
