Cosmetic Dentistry Whitening
Tooth bleaching, also known as tooth whitening or dental whitening, is a common procedure in cosmetic dentistry. As a person ages, the adult teeth become darker due to changes in the mineral structure of the tooth, and the enamel becomes less porous. Teeth are also stained by bacteria, food, and tobacco.
The procedure to bleach teeth uses oxidizing agents to lighten the shade of the tooth. The oxidizing agent penetrates the structure of the enamel and oxidizes stain deposits. Over a period of time the dentin layer is also bleached. The effects can last for months, but are shortened by cigarette smoking, and tea and coffee drinking.
There are two methods of tooth bleaching. One is dentist whitening, and the other is self whitening. The dentist applies a high concentration of an oxidizing agent which produces quick results and often use a special light to speed up the results. Home whitening involves purchasing various whitening products, and uses them over a period of 5-14 days. The results vary from seeing results in a few days, to seeing little or no results at all.
Some stains do not respond to bleaching. White-spot decalcifications may become highlighted and more noticeable. There are also side effects like chemical burns, sensitive teeth, and over bleaching. There is also rebound, which is when the teeth lose the bleached effect and actually darken. The most common is tooth sensitivity and mild irritation of the gums.
There is also the option of laser teeth whitening by your dentist. The most common systems are Zoom and Britesmile. However, this laser tooth whitening not actually done with a laser, it is light activated tooth whitening. Both systems do work well.
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