Teeth whitening is generally considered safe. If you have healthy teeth, then teeth whitening is safe, provided the right materials and timing of the whitening agents are used.
Teeth whitening can be done in one visit at a dental clinic or at home by gels and trays provided by the dentist and custom made to fit your teeth. Whitening involves the use of bleaching agents that are applied to the teeth. Agents are in the form of gels and contain either Hydrogen peroxide of 3-16% concentration or Carbamide peroxide of 10-44% concentration. The latter is usually preferred as it is considered more stable.
When having whitening done at a dental clinic, the gel is collected in a tray that fits around your teeth and is placed on the teeth. The dentist then places a blue ‘activating’ light or a laser, which can be halogen, plasma arc or LED light, in front of the teeth to activate the bleaching agent and speed up the whitening process. Free-radicals are released from the bleaching agent that act on the pigmented molecules in the teeth to reduce them, hence making the teeth appear whiter.
For at-home bleaching, you are given a tray that is specially made for your teeth and a gel similar to the one used at the dental clinic, but of a much lower concentration. A lesser concentration prevents prolonged-use damage to your teeth and lesser irritation to the soft tissues. You fill the gel in the tray and place it on the teeth overnight so that it carries out its bleaching effect slowly and safely.
Yes, some sensitivity and dissolution of tooth surface occurs during bleaching but it is minimal and the tooth will remineralize after using fluoride toothpastes or mouthwash, reestablishing its vitality. Bleaching lasts as long as drinking colored fluids like coffee or red wine is not frequent. It can be done every year or two and is perfectly safe.
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