What happens to your teeth during the bleaching treatment?

Are you considering teeth whitening and having doubt? Find out what does the treatment look like and what actually happens to your teeth during the whitening process.

In-office teeth whitening

Usually, the treatment begins with abrasive enamel cleaning. Owing to this procedure, a whitener - carbamide peroxide - is much easier absorbed by the tooth surface.

• You will have a rubber cover put on your gums in order to protect them from the activity of chemicals.
• Afterwards, you will have a whitening gel put on your teeth.
• The treatment will last for about 30-40 minutes. During the treatment carbamide peroxide causes oxidation of organic compounds that are placed in the enamel and dentin. Stains, which makes our teeth unattractive, get oxidated and teeth get whiter.

Blue light

Sometimes, after applying the gel to the teeth, they are exposed to a blue light, which speeds up the whitening process by decomposing hydrogen peroxide. As the enamel may have porous structure, after the treatment the teeth may become sensitive to hot or cold stimuli. However, the sensitivity usually lasts only for a couple of days.

In-office or at home whitening?

Regardless of the method you choose, the whitening process looks more or less the same, though the side effects - as mentioned before - may be slightly different. Remember that one in-office treatment can make your teeth shade even up to eight hues lighter. In the case of home remedies, you will obtain the same effect after a complete series of treatments.

Be aware of home use products

Be careful while choosing the whitening product. Don't choose products which contain over 6% of hydrogen peroxide and over 18% of carbamide peroxide. Too high concentration of these components may cause:

• gum irritation
• painful blisters
• mouth and throat ulcers

Overuse of the whitening products can lead to permanent damage of the enamel and gum soft tissue. Ill-fitting veneers can also contribute to problems with gums, therefore you should make sure that they are not too small.

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