The Basics of Teeth Whitening

The Basics of Teeth Whitening

Teeth whitening is probably the most sort after of all dental cosmetic procedures. This blog outlines all you need to know about tooth whitening without confusing you with unnecessary science or jargon.

There are typically two ways that a dentist will offer teeth whitening, home whitening or in-chair/in-office whitening. Both methods should, in theory, achieve the same results as long as everyone follows the instructions to the letter.

(It is important to note that prior to having any tooth whitening procedure you should have a full dental examination, scale and clean and relevant x-rays. This is to check that you do not have any cavities, active gum disease or other pathology with your teeth. Teeth whitening can worsen these issues and they should be addressed prior to any tooth whitening procedure.)

Lets start with home whitening. This method beings by having some impressions, or moulds taken of your upper and lower teeth. These will be used by the laboratory to fabricate some teeth whitening trays. Once these come back, your dentist will check that these fit properly. You will then be given some teeth whitening gels, which will be a certain concentration of either hydrogen or carbamide peroxide. This is the active ingredient which will whiten your teeth.

(NB: The concentration or strength is not as important as you think. Bleach is bleach is bleach! The stronger the concentration the faster it may work but with it will come more sensitivity. Chat with your dentist to decide which concentration is best for you.)

These should be used every evening, after you have eaten and brushed and flossed your teeth. You place a small blob of the whitening gel (about 2-3mm in diameter – a little goes a long way!) into each tooth reservoir on the inside of your whitening trays. Pop the trays in your mouth and have a look in the mirror. If there is any over spill of the gel onto your gums, take a dry piece of tissue paper and wipe it away. You should wear the trays for approximately 60 minutes. If you have quite marked sensitivity the following day, place some sensitive specialist toothpaste in your trays and wear them for 30 minutes. The next day reduce the whitening time by 10-15 minutes so that the sensitivity is less. Continue to reduce the time until you find an adequate amount of time that does not give rise to marked sensitivity. If you find that the gums have been irritated by the gels, don’t panic, this will usually be gone in hours.

You will need to wear your trays every night for 3 weeks. This part is extremely important. If you skip nights you will not get the results. The effect is cumulative and requires nightly application for it to work properly.

The other system is what we call in-chair or in-office whitening. It again begins with taking moulds (or impressions) for the whitening trays but prior to sending you away with the whitening gels, your dentist will give you a head start. They will apply some very high concentration whitening gel to your teeth in a controlled manner in the dental chair, often with the use of a whitening light or laser. The role of the light is to heat up the gel slightly, increasing its whitening effect. Once this procedure is completed, usually after 90 minutes, your dentist will give you the take home trays and whitening gels. The same instructions as above apply but you need only whiten your teeth for 3 days instead of 3 weeks.

Another thing to consider is that you must avoid all heavily staining food and drink such as tea, coffee, red wine and foods of high colorant, for example Indian food. These will hinder the whitening process. With this in mind, often people are put off by the thought of home whitening for 3 whole weeks and often choose to opt for the faster in office system, despite it more often than not being more expensive.

Possible side effects of whitening are usually limited to sensitivity only. Whitening causes no damage to healthy teeth. If your teeth are naturally quite sensitive then whitening will often make this slightly worse but can managed through the use of sensitive specialist toothpaste as previously mentioned.

How long will your teeth stay whiter for? Depends on how much wine and coffee you drink, how many cigars you smoke, etc. Everyday diet will always introduce staining factors to your teeth (unless you live off rice and water!). So keep hold of your whitening trays and when you feel that your teeth are starting to discolor then go to your dentist and by yourself some extra whitening gels to spruce them up again.

The last thing to consider is your expectations. Do you want dramatically whiter teeth? If so then you may be disappointed or your expectations may not be met. Tooth whitening usually will whiten your teeth a few shades giving them a far more subtle and attractive appearance rather than a dramatic change. But the truth be told, everyone’s teeth react differently to whitening so its very important to realize that there is no predicting just how white they will go.

Everyone’s case and everyone’s teeth are different. So to find which method will be best for you, discuss your teeth whitening needs with your dentist.

David Hurst BDS(Lon). Dentist.