What you need to know about teeth whitening!

In today's world, appearance is highly valued, and our teeth and smile play a significant role in this. A beautiful smile not only looks attractive but also boosts confidence. Consequently, cosmetic dentistry is gaining popularity. While some procedures like veneers, crowns, and composites can be more invasive and time-consuming, teeth bleaching offers a simpler and quicker solution for enhancing one's smile

Teeth bleaching, or teeth whitening, does not alter the structure of your teeth; it simply whitens and lightens their shade. The active ingredients in bleaching products are typically hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide.

Bleaching can be performed either in-office or at home. Both techniques are successful, but their effectiveness depends on the specific case. Outcomes may vary based on factors such as the type of stains, the patient's age, the concentration of the bleaching agent, the duration of each treatment, and the frequency of the treatments.

Indications of Teeth Whitening

Let's look into indications of teeth whitening:

1. Stains on the teeth, due to age or general

2. Stains from tobacco chewing and smoking and food stains, like those from tea and coffee, red wine.

3. There have been changes inside your tooth, such as the death of the nerve or root canal treatment, which may lead to discoloration of the tooth.

4. Tetracycline stains

Contraindications of Teeth Whitening

• Pregnancy, Nursing

• Suffering from sensitivity, high amount of gingival recession

• Children under the age of sixteen.

• Patient has prosthesis, like veneers, which may also get bleached.

• Allergies

• Patient under medication like (tretinoin, doxycycline, hydrochlortioside, ciprofloxacin etc.)

Various Methods of Teeth Whitening

1. In-Office Bleach In office teeth whitening is an safe and effective way of teeth bleaching. The dentist uses professionally dispensed bleaching gel which contains active ingredients, on the teeth. The bleaching process may be sped up by using light to activate the gel. This process typically takes less than an hour for completion and offers reliable and visible results.
   

In Office bleach maybe of two types, depending if they are done on the outer surface of the tooth, or from the inside of the tooth.

a) Vital Bleaching

Here the bleaching is done from the outside surface of the tooth.

b) Non- Vital Bleaching

When the teeth have been root canal treated, hence, their vitality has been lost, the bleaching may be done by placing the bleaching agent inside the tooth and leaving it for few hours. The agent is removed after 24 hours, very favourable results can be appreciated. However, this can be done only for few teeth, i.e. which are Root canal Treated.

2. Home Bleach

This involves a take home whitening kit provided by the dentist to the patient. Take-home whitening kits use whitening gels that are lower in concentration. They need to be applied multiple times for a visible effect. It takes about 2-3 weeks of use for appreciable results.

3. Veneers

This is a more invasive approach, which involves minimal cutting of the tooth surface and be coated with a layer of highly esthetic ceramic. This treatment is recommended for patients looking for a full aesthetic makeover, who may have ill shaped or misaligned teeth, for a complete Hollywood Smile.

What Happens After Teeth Whitening

You may feel some amount of sensitivity for a few days post whitening treatment, but it can be easily tackled with a sensitivity toothpaste. It is advised to avoid colored foods and tobacco, smoking, colored alcohol like wine, which may cause extrinsic staining. It is advisable to use straw to have drinks.

Effects of teeth whitening may last for few months upto 3 years (except veneers, which may last upto 15 years). However, it largely depends upon the patients maintenance.