Hi everyone, my name is Charlotte & I am one of the dental hygienists’ here at the Dental Studio. I am based in the Umm Al Sheif branch & have been with this amazing team for almost a year now.
Today I am going to talk to you about a hot topic of conversation I regularly have with my patients… Teeth Whitening!
I will go over both of the options for brightening your smile, and the safety + side effects of the treatments.
So, let's get started!
What is Teeth Whitening?
Teeth whitening is a dental procedure which should only be performed by dental care professionals such as hygienists & dentists, in a registered health care setting such as The Dental Studio. There are two methods used for whitening teeth, one is the home whitening option and the other is in office whitening.
For home whitening, the dental professional will take impressions of your upper and lower teeth using a putty type material. We then send the impressions off to the dental lab for your custom trays to be made, these are made of thin plastic.
You will come back into the clinic after a day or two so that you can try the trays in your mouth. The dental professional will make any adjustments if needed.
You will then decide whether you would be keen to do day time whitening at home or overnight whitening. Both options will take about 2 weeks of daily gel treatment to achieve optimum results.
For day time whitening, patients are given a higher concentration of whitening agent to use for 1 hour only per day.
For night time whitening, patients are given a lower concentration of whitening agent to wear against their teeth overnight - the agent will peak at 4 hours and then begin to stop working but that doesn’t mean that you need to get up in the middle of the night to remove your trays. With the product stopping working after 4 hours there will not be any damage to the teeth or gums so the trays can be removed in the morning when you wake up.
To whiten your teeth at home, you’ll place a small smear of whitening product on each outer surface of the teeth you want to whiten which will spread across the full surface of the tooth once the tray is positioned in the mouth.
Once the initial two weeks of home whitening is complete then you can top up your brightness as and when you deem necessary by coming into the clinic and purchasing another syringe of whitening gel to use. You’ll find that when you top up your whitening you will only need to do a couple days or nights (depending on your preference) rather than the full 2 weeks again. Please keep all syringes of whitening gel in the fridge for optimum results.
If patients experience a high level of sensitivity during the initial 2 weeks of home whitening then they can alternate whitening days with putting Biomin or Sensodyne toothpaste in the trays and sitting them against the teeth as an ointment. The process will then take 4 weeks to complete.
The other option for teeth whitening is the in-office option which is where you’ll come to the clinic for your treatment & walk away a couple of hours later with the same results that it would take 2 weeks to achieve at home.
With office whitening we start by prepping the mouth and covering the gums with a blue solution. We then work in intervals to achieve your desired brightness. You can have up to 4 x 15 minute sessions under the blue light which is a total of 1 hour whitening time. The blue light reacts with the whitening agent we place over the teeth & brightens your enamel.
After each 15-minute session is over, I like to show my patients the level we have achieved and give them the option to continue with another 15-minute session or stop there.
Sensitivity is a side effect of all whitening treatments but fortunately it is only temporary. Patients should expect some sensitivity during the procedure and up to 48 hours afterwards.
Most patients experience mild sensitivity which doesn’t require any intervention however, if you are someone who feels moderate to severe sensitivity post whitening then this is controlled with desensitizing toothpastes such as BioMin or Sensodyne. These toothpastes are recommended for a couple of days leading up to whitening and then for 1 week afterwards. They can also be used as an ointment (left behind on the teeth to seep in).
The other way of managing extreme sensitivity is with painkillers, Volfast 50mg works especially well for teeth whitening related sensitivity just ensure that it’s only taken if you’re not allergic to the ingredients and always follow the manufacturers guidelines on safe doses.
Teeth whitening is only to be carried out on patients aged 18+.
Patients who have epilepsy cannot undergo office whitening due to light sensitivity.
Patients who are pregnant or breastfeeding cannot undergo either options of whitening as the effects on the fetus/baby are unknown.
After whitening we recommend a ‘white diet’ for 7 days. It is encouraged to eat things which lack color such as chicken, fish, rice, potatoes. Avoid curries, bright colored food such as blueberries. If you need caffeine, go for iced versions through a straw to minimize contact with the teeth. Smoking should be avoided too.
For maintenance - you should visit your hygienist every 6 months for cleaning to help results lasts. Patients are usually having office whitening once a year but if they wanted to have it sooner than that’s fine, it does not cause harm to the enamel.
It’s important to note that only natural teeth can be whitened so if you have fillings which can be seen when you smile these might need to be changed by the dentist to match the new shade of your teeth.
Teeth whitening should be carried out a day after cleaning by the hygienist for best results, this way we have a fresh blank canvas to work with.
Thank you for taking the time to read my first entry to the Dental Studio blog & I look forward to helping you achieve your dream smile very soon!
