How Does Your Dentist Whiten Your Teeth?

Whitening of teeth to make them look brighter, less dingy and stained, and generally more attractive and appealing is one of the most popular of all dental procedures. The way that your dentist will whiten your teeth if you decide to undergo a whitening process may vary from dentist to dentist, or because of your particular situation, budget, or preferences. But almost all of the various tooth whitening methods are similar, in that they utilize chemicals to bleach away stains and bring out the white color of the tooth.

Just because you choose to have your dentist do the whitening, rather than trying to use one of the do-it-yourself whiteners that can be bought at a grocery or drug store, that does not mean that the whole thing has to be done in a dentist’s office. Many techniques involve getting started with the help of your dentist and then taking up the remaining steps of the treatment at home. This can be convenient, and can also make the tooth whitening more economical.

Regardless of how you proceed, the dentist will almost always start off by taking excellent close up photographs of your mouth. Using high-tech digital camera equipment specially designed for dental photography it is possible to get high resolution reproductions or images of the teeth in full color. This helps to establish a benchmark or starting point, so that as the whitening progresses you and your dentist can compare the “before and after” results and evaluate the visible impact of whitening.

When whitening happens in the office of your dentist, it may require from one or two to as many as half a dozen visits, and each time you go to see the dentist he or she will bleach the teeth for about an hour or so. They use a specially formulated whitener than contains peroxide, so the dentist will take care to apply it gradually, a little at each visit or appointment, and closely monitor the results. He or she will pay special attention to your comfort, checking to see if your teeth are becoming hyper sensitive to such things as cold or hot drinks. Sometimes as the peroxides eat away at the stained enamel they also thin the surface of the tooth, which means that nerves near the surface might react with discomfort or pain. Those pains are usually felt when drinking very hot or cold beverages, but if you communicate about any discomfort with the dentist he or she should be able to control the whitening in a way that does not make your teeth too sensitive.

For home whitening dentists will prepare trays for you, and these little trays are designed to hold the whitening bleach gel and ensure that it coats your teeth completely without leaking out to burn your gums. If you decide to go the take-home whitening route it will probably take you about 2-3 weeks to complete the whitening process and see dramatic whitening results.

For special types of whitening – like on manmade crowns that are made out of porcelain or polymers – your dentist will use slightly different methods to match the color and make it whiter. Just talk to your dentist if you are considering whitening and he or she can describe all the many options and show you examples of other patients who have had their teeth whitened.