Dental whitening is a dental practice that gives new brightness to the dental elements, removing yellow or gray stains that affect the smile. It can be considered a therapy and a cosmetic treatment whether the patient presents healthy teeth, and wants to make them whiter; or when the teeth are affected by trauma, endodontic treatments or represent expressions of systemic pathologies.
Whitening is performed by applying whitening agents directly to dental elements. The formulations of these agents are based on hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. These, in contact with the dental enamel, act by releasing oxygen, disintegrating the pigments that cause the darkening of the teeth. In this way, the tooth becomes whiter.
You want to remember that whitening only works on natural teeth and not on filling materials or prosthetic solutions such as crowns or bridges.
Teeth whitening is a safe practice for patients, does not alter or ruin the polish and the result is predictable.
Whitening treatment specialists are dentists and dental hygienists.
There are two types of whitening:
in-office bleaching: Performed at the dentist's office and involves the application of the high-concentration bleaching agent for 20 minutes to repeat 2/3 times based on the result you want to achieve.
home bleaching: home whitening involves the use of two custom masks, put together during the days prior to treatment. The patient at home autonomously will wear the masks by first placing the low-level bleaching product on the inside. The patient will wear the masks during the nighttime hours for 2/3 weeks.
To achieve the best results, we recommend combining these two whitening methods.
With both whitening systems, there may be some transient side effects such as cold hypersensitivity and gingival redness.
Whitening is performed at an adult age and is not recommended during pregnancy and breast-feeding.