In-office bleaching: Technique like ‘Bright Smile’ and ‘Zoom’ offer fast, convenient outcome to whiten outer surfaces of teeth. The dentist first isolates the teeth to be treated, using a liquid rubber material that hardens to protect your gums. Your tongue and lips will also be protected with special props and a ‘sun-block’ cream. Then the bleaching gel is applied, allowed to remain on your teeth for 20 minutes and then it is rinsed off. Careful, controlled bleaching process won’t harm teeth, but for some it could make them slightly sensitive temporarily.
Home bleaching.
Many bleaching systems for home are available. A few can be purchased at pharmacies, while others are done under professional supervision. In the case of dentist supervised home bleaching, a teeth impression is taken first. Using this impression, a soft appliance called bleaching tray; which looks like a thin mouth guard is fabricated. At home you can line this appliance with a bleaching gel and wear it for 30-60 minutes each day for about 2 weeks. Compared to in-office bleaching process, this procedure can be slow. The final results are comparable, and the bleaching can be continued for a longer period of time to achieve extra whitening. Besides, the bleaching trays are reusable. You can just purchase bleaching gel from your dentist whenever you require repeating.
Walking bleach technique.
When a tooth is discolored due to a damaged nerve or a root canal treatment, it may also be bleached from within. During root canal therapy, a mild bleach is applied as part of the standard procedure to clean and sterilize the pulp and canal of your tooth, which often oxidizes and removes any stains in the surrounding dentin. When stains appear after a root canal treatment, walking bleach can be applied. During this procedure, your dentist will reopen the pulp chamber and partly empty it of the root canal filling material. Then the dentist will insert a bleaching gel and seal it under a temporary filling. After a few days you “walk around” while the bleach diffuses into the dentin and oxidizes the stain. The temporary filling and bleach will be replaced by a permanent one. Bleaching results vary. Stains such as mottling caused by fluorosis usually come out easily with a single treatment. Mild tetracycline stains and the natural darkening of teeth in later years can also be reduced. A few discolorations cannot be corrected by bleaching. Teeth with dead-white “headlights” can’t be bleached to match the areas of deficient calcium. Stains caused by diffused amalgam/silver fillings are difficult to remove, unless the fillings are removed and replaced. “Touch-ups” may be necessary at a later time in cases like dentin stains caused by tetracycline; as bleaching may not be permanent. Bleaching is considered as a first step. If desired results are not attained, more elaborate methods such as bonding or dental veneers are required.