Teeth whitening is one of the most popular techniques for aesthetic purposes today in dental clinics. The color of our teeth is one of the most important factors in showing off a good smile, and professional whitening treatments have proven to be an easy, effective, and very attractive option.
At Chagger dental clinic, we want you to know all the information you need if you want teeth whitening services.
Table of Contents
What is tooth whitening?
Teeth whitening is a treatment practiced by changing the color of our teeth to obtain a “whiter” smile. The process manages to reduce the color of the dental pieces by several shades, leaving the teeth whiter and brighter.
It is important to clarify that teeth whitening is a dental treatment and not merely aesthetic, so it should not be taken lightly. It should always be carried out by a registered professional dentist.
Why do our teeth darken?
The enamel of our teeth has millions of microscopic pores that, over time, allow a variety of organic compounds from external agents (tobacco, drinks, foods with certain pigments…) to pass into our dentin, causing its colour to darken.
The aging process, wear, trauma and our oral cleaning habits throughout our lives also determine the shade of our dentures.
How are teeth whitening done?
There are several tooth whitening techniques, but the most popular is photoactivation. This treatment is carried out by applying a whitening gel (carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide) activated by directly applying a light source (laser, LED, or ultraviolet). At Chagger dental Ontario, we use LED light whitening, which is more comfortable for our patients and causes fewer post-treatment sensitivity problems.
The three basic steps of photoactivation whitening are:
1.- Consultation and revision: Your dentist will study your mouth to ensure it is healthy (free of cavities, periodontal diseases, or tartar plaques) and will carry out a prophylaxis cleaning in preparation for the treatment.
2.- Application of the whitening gel: Through a custom-made splint, the soft tissues of the mouth (gums, tongue, and palate) will be protected, and the whitening gel will be applied.
3.- Application of led light: To intensify the gel’s effects in releasing oxygen from peroxides.
Treatment options for teeth whitening:
It will be your dentist who selects the most appropriate type of treatment for your case. They will monitor the amount of product used and its correct application to prevent unwanted side effects (pulpitis, hypersensitivity, root resorption, etc.), ensuring no danger to the gums, soft tissues, or teeth. There are several ways to carry out the process:
- Teeth whitening in the clinic.
Generally, between one and three procedures are performed, allowing a rest time between each visit if necessary to return. During the visit, the gel will be applied once the sensitive areas have been protected, and the process will be accelerated by exposure to light. Treatment time is very short, ranging from 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Teeth whitening at home.
This process can be done comfortably from home but always under the supervision of your dentist. The dental clinic provides the patient with a homemade kit that will be applied (following the dentist’s instructions) through custom-made splints. It must be kept acting for a few hours daily (it is common to carry out this treatment during sleep hours) for 3 or 4 weeks. The substances used in the outpatient technique are less concentrated than those used in the dental clinic.
- Mixed teeth whitening
It consists of a combination of the above treatments. Generally recommended for patients with a very dark dental coloration to enhance the whitening effect since its results are the most effective, obtaining up to 10 shades lighter once the process is completed.
- internal whitening
They recommended only for non-vital teeth (in which, for various reasons, the sensitivity of the nerve no longer acts). In these cases, the treatments just mentioned will not work well. With internal bleaching, the tooth’s root canals are opened, and the whitening product is applied inside the tooth. Then it is sealed and left to act for a few days. The treatment can be repeated to achieve the desired tone gradually.
If the piece is damaged, restoration with dental veneers services can be a good alternative to match this piece to the tone achieved for the rest of the mouth through whitening.
The whitening results will not be fully appreciated until approximately two weeks after the treatment. This is very important if you have any dental restoration and want to ensure that the color matches your newly whitened teeth.
Results, “the perfect target.”
Depending on the selected treatment, results can be obtained between 4 and 10 shades of whitening in the teeth.
Our teeth have no ideal tone of whiteness; it depends on the client’s tastes. From our clinic, we recommend that you look for an improvement in your smile, preserving the naturalness of the colour in the result.
Do whitening treatments damage enamel?
The enamel of your teeth will not suffer any damage as long as a professional carries out the treatment. Studying the state of your teeth and monitoring the amounts of the gel used for whitening and the exposure time are key factors in ensuring satisfactory and risk-free whitening.
Care after treatment:
Whitening is not painful, but it can leave a certain transient sensitivity to temperature, touch, and pressure during the days following the treatment in the patient’s mouth.
Sensitivity to cold, discomfort in the gums, and even the appearance of some white spots on the gum line are temporary symptoms that will disappear shortly. However, if the side effects persist, it is always advisable to contact our clinic.
There are desensitizing gels that will help you soothe discomfort and toothpaste options with potassium nitrate that also help in these cases.
We also recommend avoiding drinks and foods that contain acids (citrus, vinegar, acidic soft drinks such as coke, Fanta, and sodas…) as they will increase the sensitivity of the teeth and increase the risk of damage to the enamel when the treatment is recent.
How to maintain the effects of whitening?
The whitening effect after a professional treatment can range between 6 months and two years, although there are cases in which the results have lasted up to 10 years.
Periodic maintenance is a good reminder treatment to preserve the colour you have obtained for a longer time, and they are not very expensive since it is easier to maintain a tone that has already been achieved than to obtain it from scratch. You can also follow a series of tips to prolong the effects and prevent your teeth from staining prematurely:
- Maintain good oral hygiene: brushing, flossing, and regular cleaning at your clinic…
- Periodic whitening from home, always under the recommendations of your dentist.
- Avoid “dark” foods and drinks: dark chocolate, soups, and stews with a lot of coloring, beetroot, sauces (tomato, soy…), blueberries, cherries, red wine, coffee, tea, juices (orange, currant, grape…).
- Drink with straw
- Do not smoke.
What should I consider when choosing my treatment?
It is increasingly common to sell whitening products and kits in pharmacies, supermarkets, and other shops for the patient to use at home. Legislation requires that these products, designed to be used without professional supervision, are at most 0.1% peroxide concentration, so their whitening effect is practically nonexistent.
The offer of treatments in non-specialized centers is also increasing, about which it is important to know how it works before deciding.
- Toothpaste with a whitening effect
They help improve the shine of our teeth but do not perform a whitening action. They can reduce and, in some cases, clean some stains on our teeth, but they will not change the colour of your teeth since the percentages of hydrogen peroxide are too low to make decisive changes in colour. To perform noticeable whitening of our teeth with a lasting effect, we need to visit a specialist.
- whitening kits
Fortunately, the regulation on selling whitening treatments without medical supervision is very strict in Spain. The bleaching agent levels in these products are limited to very low percentages, so they are not effective in the short or medium term. Due to the lack of prior review and adequate monitoring by a professional, these treatments often result in high risks and very low benefits.
- “Home” teeth whitening.
Every day the number of solutions and tricks for teeth whitening with home methods increases. It is a tempting option since, in theory, it represents great savings for our pocket. Still, using solutions such as bicarbonate, hydrogen peroxide, acids, etc., can create burns in your mouth and damage the enamel of your teeth, among other complications. It can become the most expensive option if your dentist must repair damage caused by home experiments.
If you still have any questions or want more information about our teeth whitening services, do not hesitate to contact us; we will be happy to assist you.
