Professional Teeth Bleaching

Professional Teeth Bleaching in the Dentist's Chair 

Bleaching your teeth, however you have it done, will actually change the colour of your tooth enamel, rather than just acting on the surface of your teeth.

This type of treatment is only suitable for people who have yellow or discoloured teeth from natural causes.

Bleaching does not work at all on teeth that have had fillings or bonds applied over a tooth.

Also, this procedure may not work well at whitening very brown or grey teeth.

For those who have had dental work done on their front teeth, and the procedure has discoloured, you may want to ask your dentist about applying a porcelain veneer, or some other way of whitening that part of your teeth.

Or maybe after the bleaching, you will have very white teeth, and large brownish or yellowish blocks wherever the filling or other work was done.

Your dentist can prescribe you home based teeth bleaching products that you can use in the comfort of your home quite easily.

Teeth bleaching kits are also available as over the counter products but we advise that you should always seek professional dentist’s advice first.

Bleaching carried out by your dentist may take several visits of between 30 minutes and an hour’s duration for the bleach to sit on your teeth. 

Professional dentist’s use many different types of bleaching agents, so be sure to ask which one they plan to use during your whitening treatment. 

Also make sure it has been approved by your country’s dental association, as bleaching agents are usually a form of either Carbamide or Hydrogen peroxide which can affect your health. 

The main danger is that while peroxide sits on your teeth it breaks down, releasing oxygen, which goes into your enamel and whitens your teeth.

During the whitening treatment your dentist will usually apply a soft gel to your gums to protect the soft tissue in your mouth from the bleaching agent.

Also a rubber shield will be used to cover and protect the rest of your mouth before the bleaching agent is applied to your front teeth. 

In some cases a bleaching paste will be applied and removed several times in succession during a treatment.

A word of caution: bleaching treatments may weaken tooth enamel, though this negative aspect can be lessened by fluoride treatments which your dentist may add to the whitening paste or gel.

Unfortunately the effects of bleaching your teeth will not last forever.

After whitening treatment new layers of staining can build up over time once which will require follow-up bleaching treatment. 

Also after a teeth bleaching treatment it is imperative to adhere to your dentist’s recommendations for keeping your teeth white and pearly.