Beautiful smile is anybody’s choice, which is not possible with yellow and stained teeth. This is the reason why teeth whitening procedure is opted by people. This article presents the different types of teeth whitening procedures and the risks involved in the treatment.
Types of teeth whitening procedures
There are two main types of teeth whitening procedures; vital whitening and non vital whitening.
Vital whitening
The most common type of whitening procedures uses gel like white solutions applied directly to the surfaces of the teeth. This product contains hydrogen peroxide.
At the dentist office, the dentist will apply this solution to your tooth’s surface and a laser light activates the gel, and thus allows bleaching to happen faster. This procedure usually takes 30 – 90 minutes, depending on how your teeth are.
Non vital whitening
Vital whitening may not help improving the color of the tooth that had a root canal treatment. So, in this case, the dentist will use different types of procedure to whiten the tooth from inside. The dentist will place the whitening gel inside the tooth and applies a temporary filling and left for several days. This needs to be done once or can be repeated until the tooth reaches its desired shade.
Candidates for tooth whitening procedures
Your dentist will assess your oral health and recommend you for tooth whitening if you;
- Have food and beverage stains
- Have tobacco stains
- Discolored and dull teeth
- Have undergone a treatment that stained your teeth badly such as tetracycline treatment for acne can stain your dentin, the next layer of the teeth.
Not everyone is a good candidate for tooth whitening procedure because people with serious discoloration and pitted teeth are not the candidates for this procedure. Veneers can be more appropriate than tooth whitening.
Risks involved in tooth whitening
Tooth whitening is unlikely to cause stains, although some people:
- May feel that there teeth have become more sensitive than before.
- Get mild gum irritation.
- Especially, pregnant women should not have their teeth whitened. The effects of tooth whitening on the development of the fetus is not known, but since it is a cosmetic treatment, it should be postponed.
- With periodontal disease should avoid chemical whitening technique as teeth becomes sensitive in this stage of gum disease.
