Tooth whitening is the use of bleaching agents, such as carbamide peroxide, hydrogen peroxide (Opalescence Go) to lighten the colour of the teeth. It is a cost effective and safe means of getting the teeth whiter.
Enamel stains, a generalized discoloured pattern in the teeth and trauma to baby teeth that have resulted in stained permanent teeth can all benefit from bleaching.
In this practice, we do not commence the treatment until the patient has had a checkup and clean and all cavities have been restored. This is to reduce the risk of sensitivity to hot and cold.
We take a mould of your teeth and make customized plastic trays. We then give you the trays, the bleaching gel and instructions. You wear the gel filled trays at home once or twice daily, depending on how quickly you want the teeth whitened and how comfortable you feel. You could wear them from half an hour to 2 hours at a time each day.
The length of the treatment may vary between 1 and 6 weeks, with an average lasting between 7 and 14 days.
During the course of bleaching, the patient returns to the surgery every 2 weeks and have the shade monitored. This is usually done without referring to the shade the previous visit. Patient continues to use the gel until s/he is happy with the final lightened shade.
Internal Bleaching of a root-filled tooth
A root treated tooth usually darkens and if it happens to be a front tooth, your dentist may suggest internal bleaching of the tooth.
It involves drilling a small hole into the back of the tooth and removing some of the filling from the tooth’s root canal and inserting the bleaching product. The hole is temporarily filled and you will need to return in about a week to have the bleaching product and temporary filling removed.
A fresh lot of bleaching agent is inserted again and the process is repeated over several weeks or months until the tooth lightens to the desirable shade.
Once treatment is completed, the bleaching agent is removed and the hole is permanently filled.