- hereditary shade of the dentin, the secondary tooth layer that defines color of our teeth. It comes with a variety of shades, from light yellow to dark, different gray hues, etc.
- anything that can stain enamel, coffee, red wine, tea
- smoking
- use of tetracycline during tooth development
- dental trauma
- slight teeth misalignment
- age
It is not entirely understood why teeth are reacting to the chemicals we use by changing their shade. This is a very important fact to remember. This is why predicting how light your teeth will become impossible.
The data collected by the different research groups give us facts we consider when the whitening procedure is requested.
There are two chemicals used today for whitening procedures. Carbamide peroxide and hydrogen peroxide. The obvious question what is the difference? The biggest difference between these two agents is hydrogen peroxide breaks down faster than carbamide peroxide, so it releases most of its whitening power within 30–60 minutes. Carbamide peroxide, on the other hand, releases about 50% of its whitening power in the first two hours and can remain active for up to six additional hours.
Concentrations of these ingredients vary from 10 to 20% for the first one and from 10 to 36% for the second. The darker teeth are the more concentrated solution is used. The more concentration of an active ingredient there is the more sensitivity will be expected. Data shows – the darker the teeth are the less whitening effect is expected.
- Both are effective and there is no difference in the achieving results.
- There are two delivery systems on the market today, so-called in-office bleaching and at-home bleaching.
- In office bleaching consists of applying an active ingredient, the bleaching gel, directly to the tooth, usually in high concentration, since it has to deliver results in a short period of time. Sometimes a special light or laser is used to facilitate this procedure. In-office bleaching showed significantly more color relapse as well as moderate to severe sensitivity.
- At-home bleaching procedure involves wearing custom-made tray when upper and lower impressions are taken to make custom-fit trays that are used to dispense bleaching agent right inside the tray and wear it from 30 minutes to an entire night depending on what chemicals are used. The final result is more stable since there is a gradual accumulation of bleaching reactions. There is a relatively new product on the market which is prefabricated trays that have been prefilled with the whitening agent, similar to the Crest Strips. The feedback I got from my patients regarding this product varies.
- Each patient has a “ceiling” point after which further exposure to whitening chemicals will have no effect at all.
- Over time teeth will start to relapse back and the patient will need to repeat the bleaching procedure again.
To learn more about teeth whitening contact us at (215) 557-0660.