Teeth whitening is an aesthetic solution recommended to people who are not satisfied with the color of their teeth.
It is an oxygenation method used to whiten teeth that have changed colors for various reasons or to lighten the individual tooth color by several shades.
Colorings due to external factors
Stains on the teeth are caused by the consumption of some foods and beverages (coffee, tea, red wine, curry, soy, fruit juices, cola drinks, etc.) or smoking. These stains that stick on the surface of your teeth cause your teeth to turn yellow. These stains can be found together with their teethtones or only in the form of stains. Every 6 months, you should go to the dentist to have your teeth cleaned by the methods deemed appropriate by your dentist and when deemed appropriate.
Colorings due to internal factors
- Teeth can turn yellow as a result of injury / trauma or as a result of the natural aging process.
- In teeth with amalgam (gray) filling, especially gray and black discolorations may occur in the tooth as a result of leakage of copper and corrosion products in the dentine canals in the tooth.
- It is blackish when pulp (vascular-nerve package) residues, which are not cleaned well in canal-treated teeth, enter the dentin tubules; If the excess paste used during the canal treatment has overflowed into the crown part of the tooth, the tooth is seen in orange. Unlike normal whitening, these teeth are bleached by the method we call INTRAKORONAL BLEACHING.
- Depending on the amount of fluoride taken, there may be a color change from opaque points to yellow-brown in the teeth. 1 ppm. This problem can be encountered in the teeth of people who drink drinking water with more than fluoride.
- Some antibiotics (especially tetracycline) used when the mother is pregnant or in childhood have been observed to produce yellow-brown-gray-colored stains on the teeth. Unless tetracycline stains are too advanced, they respond to the whitening process. In very advanced tetracycline colorations, this situation cannot be eliminated by bleaching, and porcelain lamina or full porcelain coatings are recommended for teeth.
Teeth whitening
There are two different bleaching methods currently known. The first one is a method that the patient can apply on his own, the second method is bleaching by the physician in the clinic. Although both methods are effective, which one to choose depends on the degree of coloration, how quickly the treatment is desired, and your physician's decision.
Bleaching in the clinic (office bleaching)
It is done by activating the whitening gel that your doctor deems appropriate with heat or light. First of all, external discolorations on the tooth surfaces and dental stones, if any, are cleaned with periodontal methods. Tooth surfaces are polished. The starting photo is taken and the tone of the tooth is determined with the color scale. A protective gel is applied to the gums to prevent the whitening gel from touching and the patient is wearing protective glasses. The whitening agent is applied to the tooth surfaces and activated for 20-30 minutes.
The success of this way of bleaching depends on the reason and weight of the coloring. In colorations with aging, 1 session is usually sufficient for fluorosis coloration. In tetracycline-related colorings, 3 or even 4 sessions may be required.
Home bleaching
By installing the plates prepared with the measurements taken from you for a few hours a day, you can make the printing process in your home. Put the amount of bleach gel recommended by your doctor on the part of the plate that will be on the front of your teeth and place the plate in your mouth. After a week or two, you can get the color you want. With the bleaching method made at home, dark color may not be removed especially in the canal treated teeth. Or results may not be obtained for the spots that we call tetracycline stains. Because the concentration of bleach gel is kept low so that it does not harm your teeth or gums. For this, you should definitely consult your doctor.
Points to consider after bleaching
There may be sensitivities felt in the form of a lighter within 24 hours after the bleaching process. Painkillers taken half an hour before and after the procedure will decrease this sensitivity.
The whitening reaction continues for 24 hours. For this reason, it is necessary to eat or drink any coloring food (red wine, curry-based foods, fruit juices, tomato paste foods, tea and tea varieties, coffee etc.) for 24 hours after the procedure.
We recommend no smoking for 24 hours after the procedure, and then reduce it.
Acid drinks consumed after the procedure may increase sensitivity. Therefore, such drinks should not be consumed for 24 hours.
Teeth continue to be cleaned in the same way.
In what situations is bleaching not done?
- Wide pulp teeth
- To excessively worn erosive teeth
- If there are restorations such as porcelain crowns in the mouth
- In women during pregnancy and breastfeeding
- People who are allergic to hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide.
- In individuals with poor oral hygiene
- If there are structural disorders in the teeth that concern enamel and dentin (amelogenesis imperfecta, dentinogenesis imperfecta)
- In patients with extremely sensitive teeth (whitening can be done after desensitizing treatments are applied.)
- In teeth with advanced size tetracycline spots
- People with broken, cracked, bruised teeth
- There is no bleaching in people whose gums are removed too much and most of the roots are exposed.
The basic color of the teeth is whitened, but nicotine stain again accumulates in the teeth in patients who smoke excessively and who cannot fully maintain their oral hygiene. These patients often need to have dental cleaning.
Is pain felt during the whitening process?
There may be some sensitivity during the procedure and within the following 24 hours. This is temporary. Your doctor will advise you to make this situation the most comfortable.
How long do the whitened teeth retain their color?
Under normal conditions, your teeth retain their color for 2-3 years on average. This time is up to you.
If excessive amounts of tea, coffee, cigarettes are smoked, this period may be shortened. If necessary, additional treatments can be made once or twice a year for the continuation of the bleaching process.
How long do the teeth get to the desired color?
It differs according to the method performed, the percentage of the agent used and the structure and tone of the patient's tooth.
Since the percentage used in bleaching in the clinic is high, fast and effective results are obtained, while the percentage of the agent used in home bleaching is low, the result is obtained later. Some patients achieve the desired result in one session, while other patients may need 1-2 sessions, or permanence is tried to be achieved with home bleaching after one session of clinical bleaching.