Teeth whitening

Overview

Stains and discolouration of teeth is extremely embarrassing. It is normal to crave for pearly white teeth and impress your friends. Teeth whitening technique is one of the advanced dental procedures to help you get over your embarrassments and feel confident in crowds. Of the various dental procedures available, whitening is the most popular that greatly improve your teeth look and facial appearance.

The thin surface on the outer part of a tooth is the enamel. The colour of a tooth is created by the reflection of light on it combined with the colour of the dentin beneath it. Know this that the smoothness and thickness of the enamel depends upon a person’s genes. Having rougher or smoother, thinner or thicker enamel affects the colour and reflection of light on the tooth.

With passing of time, a thin coating called pellicle builds up on the enamel that absorbs stains. Inadequate care of your teeth, like using too much tobacco and drinking dark-coloured liquids like red wine, tea and coffee cause stain on the teeth. Another common reason for stain or discoloration of teeth is aging. Intrinsic stains inside the tooth is caused due to over exposure to fluoride and tetracycline antibiotics. These stains are embedded inside the teeth.

Tooth whitening is the best solution to the abovementioned problems that cause stains and discolouration. There are several teeth whitening procedures that are performed both at the dental office and at home. Some of the commonly practiced treatments are vital whitening, non-vital whitening, teeth whitening strips, toothpaste, gels, bleaching and others.

There are certain associated side effects of teeth whitening that include over sensitivity to hot or cold foods and liquids. Nonetheless, the symptoms stay only for a few days and disappear quickly. It should, however, be noted that before getting the treatment at a clinic, there are a few preparations to be taken.

Before Treatment

Whether you get a vital or non-vital whitening treatment, take care of the following preparations before teeth whitening procedure.

• Fix an appointment with the dentist. Talk with him about the whitening procedure that you want. He will examine your teeth and the intensity of the stains or dark marks on them. How long the procedure takes actually depends upon the severity of stains and discolouration.
• After observations, your dentist will assess the best procedure, whether to use light activation or whitening agent for dark stains inside the tooth. Once he determines, he will schedule the next visit when you will have your teeth professionally cleaned to get rid of stubbornly embedded sediments and tartar.
• Fix the next appointment a month later to undergo the teeth whitening procedure. During this time, you will be given desensitising toothpaste to use. This will prepare your teeth to bear the pulses of heat generated from light activation.
• The tooth paste functions by chocking pores through which heat can reach the surrounding nerves. Remember, desensitizing toothpaste is apt for those who have extra sensitive teeth. In case the toothpaste does not work, take painkillers as prescribed by your doctor. Thus, you are now ready to undergo teeth whitening procedures.

How it is Performed

Your dentist will discuss with you which treatment is the best, depending upon your desires and dental condition. There are two types of treatment, Vital and Non-Vital treatment. Vital whitening treatment can be performed both at the clinic and at home.

Vital Treatment (At dentist’s office)

• After all the preparations before the procedure, you schedule a treatment with the dentist. He applies a substance that protects and covers the gums surrounding your teeth. Once done, he places a whitening agent on the teeth.
• The dentist shines a type of laser light on the teeth. The bleaching procedure helps to lighten the colour of your teeth. However, in case of dark and stubborn stains, patients are usually recommended to continue the bleaching procedure at home for a few days/weeks.
• After examining your teeth and the stains, the dentist takes an impression of your lower and upper teeth to create a custom mouthpiece. It should fit well and closely so that the whitening agent present in it stays in contact with the teeth.
• At home, you are required to fill the mouthpiece with a whitening gel for a few more days. Wear the mouthpiece for several hours every day for a few days or weeks. Although, you may achieve desirable whitening for your teeth in the first week, you are supposed to wear it for four weeks or longer.
• Other than visiting a dentist, you may buy over-the-counter whitening products. However, the whitening agent is never as strong as the one provided by your dentist. Besides, mouthpieces bought from shops do not fit very securely on your teeth. It is, therefore, best to visit a dentist for greater results.

On the contrary, non-vital whitening procedure treats stains coming from inside of the teeth. During the procedure, a whitening agent is placed into the tooth and a temporary filling is done on it. Leave your tooth in that way for several weeks. Depending upon the severity of stains, you may need the treatment once or for a few times to achieve the desired colour.

Recovery

After the whitening procedure, feeling sharp sensitivity is normal. The recovery time of teeth whitening differs from person to person. It may take days, weeks and sometimes even months. However, the longer is the period of recovery, the better it is that you visit your doctor. Try the following tips to recover soon.

• To get relief from teeth whitening sensitivity, you may follow a few procedures. Do brush your teeth before whitening and even not after, since it may negatively impact the bleaching agent put on your teeth.
• Apply calcium-based desensitizing toothpaste on your teeth with your fingertips and leave it as it is after the procedure.
• Use a ph re-balancing mouth rinse or water to rinse your mouth after the bleaching.

Thus, taking care of the above tips will help you recover soon after teeth whitening.