The subject of this article is one that I quite enjoyed receiving as pro teeth whitening is something I have fond (and not so fond!) memories of. The first (and only) time I had it done was for my wedding day (for the pictures, dahling!) and I’m really glad that I did. I called up my friend, Dr Ragmah Karriem, to find out a little bit more about pro teeth whitening from her (she’s a dentist after all). This is what she had to say:
S: So why would pro teeth whitening be better than over-the-counter products?
DRK: It’s not better. It has its advantages and disadvantages, definitely, but the results are better. The concentrations of bleach are obviously much higher than over-the-counter products and that has to be controlled, and at the dentist, we would do the workup prior to the bleaching and this is when we take photographs of your mouth and bleach one part at a time. We don’t do it simultaneously and this is so that you can see the difference. Over-the-counter products are a very mild form of bleaching. The pro bleach contains 35-37% hydrogen peroxide whereas over-the-counter is only 10%, so you may not see any difference.
S: What would a drawback be of bleaching your teeth?
DRK: Well, obviously there is the sensitivity issue, which is the leading disadvantage. I mean, you know all about that!
S: (laughing) yes.
DRK: That is a drawback, firstly, and also there is a dietary issue afterwards. You have to stay away from curries, red wine, cigarettes, coffee, tea and those sorts of things. We’ve actually seen disastrous things when somebody has eaten something tomato based and their teeth turn red! And there is on-going research. It’s not proven yet, but research suggests that it (bleach) eats through your periodontal ligament, so that years later, your teeth may start to move – that’s if you’ve been using very strong % or bleach. Like I said, it hasn’t been proven yet, but it may happen.
S: How many different methods are there? I know about the tray method, but what are the others?
DRK: You get 2 types of bleaching that we call vital bleaching and non-vital bleaching. Vital bleaching is done when your teeth still contain nerves and it’s a purely cosmetic procedure. Non-vital bleaching we would do on a patient who has had a root canal done already – when there is no nerve left in the tooth. You’ve seen someone with a grey tooth already?
S: Yes, I have.
DRK: Ok. So, the methods are completely different. With non-vital, we apply the bleach into the tooth where the root canal was done, so the bleach penetrates from the inside, but that you can only do if the patient has had a root canal. There must be no nerve. With vital bleaching, there is the toothpaste option as well the tray option whereby you apply the bleach into the tray and you wear the try for 6-8 hours. Then you have in-house bleaching where you lay in the chair and we apply acrylic to your gums and then apply the bleach to your teeth, and you end up lying in the chair for an hour. When an hour is done, you wash it off and you come in the next day so we can check on the results. We do give people touch-up kits to take home, which is the same as using the tray method.
S: How long should you go between pro bleaching?
DRK: Well, we do it on a yearly bleaching, but the at-home kits you can do after a few weeks.
S: When you’ve had pro bleaching done, is there anything you can do to prolong the bleaching?
DRK: Well, there are the obvious dietary things to avoid, especially tobacco as that is a common risk, but there is not much you can do. It depends on the type of teeth you have and the concentration of the bleach you’ve used. Bleach is an acid and your teeth are porous as well, so fluoride or whitening toothpaste could help, but then you run the risk of sensitivity. Many of our regular bleach patients use Sensodyne toothpaste to help with tooth sensitivity. There are also the costs to consider as you get different types of bleach. We use a brand called Opalescence, which is 37% bleach and then you get one called Bright Smile, which is the leading brand of bleach and there you’re looking at R4500 to R5000 for bleaching. With Opalescence you’re looking at R2000-R2500. With over-the-counter products, you could pay as little as R300-R400.
S: That’s good to know, so you can always choose one that suits your budget accordingly.
DRK: mmhmm.
And there you go, lovelies. A transcribed post of my visit to the dentist! Have you tried bleaching your teeth before? Which method did you choose? Do share some love in the comments below!
Article by: Suaad D Artistry http://www.beautybulletin.com/blog-directory/our-bloggers/suaad-d-artistry