Office Bleaching

Want a sparkly smile for New Year 's Eve??? by Dr. Anuradha Kulkarni if you are contemplating to get your teeth bleached but are confused,then read the following article and make an informed decision.

Introduction:Bleaching or whitening of teeth is one of the commonly sought aesthetic dental treatments. Bleaching will lighten the natural colour of teeth and gives a bright, attractive smile. But it works only on natural teeth and not on any restoration such as crowns, veneers and dentures.

Whenis bleaching required?

Few people naturally have dark shaded teeth. For others, the natural shade of teeth may be covered with stains, plaque, tartar and debris and hence appear dull, unattractive. Excessive drinking of tea, coffee and eating food with

As the active ingredient is broken down, oxygen gets into the inner layers of the teeth and the tooth colourgets lighter.Home bleaching kits contain from 3% to 20% peroxide and office kits contain from 15% to 43% peroxide. The stronger the peroxide, lighter the shade becomes and in short time. Many people find that their teeth and gums feel cleaner after they have been whitened.

• Office bleaching

Bleaching when done by a dentist in a dental clinic is called as office bleaching. The teeth generally get about 3 to 8 shades brighterand takes around 30 to 60-minutes. First the dentist putsa rubber shield or a gel on the gums to protect them from peroxide. Then the whitening product is applied to the teeth and a light is used to activate the peroxide, to speed up and intensify the whitening process.

• Dentist supervised home bleaching

Few patients may want regular whitening of their teeth without much of shade difference. For such patientsdentist supervised home bleaching is suitable. The dentist takes an impression of both the jaws and fabricates special mouth guard like trays for bleaching. The patient simply needs to fill the bleaching material in the tray and place in the mouth for the specified amount of