Teeth Whitening in Richmond
What is it?
A peroxide solution is applied to the exterior of teeth to change the teeth to a natural whiter shade. An impression of the teeth is taken and a mouth tray made. Peroxide gel is put in the tray and the patient is asked to wear it overnight. The peroxide agent then soaks into the teeth. The time taken to achieve the desired results varies.
Why is it done?
Teeth Whitening Surrey brightens a smile and improves the appearance of discoloured, stained or darkened teeth. It usually whitens your teeth quite noticeably, and allows the patient to control the results by the number of treatments they select.
If your bite is unbalanced muscles of your head/jaw/neck may hold your jaw in unnatural positions. This can overload the muscles which results in discomfort in the muscles and eventually lead to headaches.
Initially this would involve a detailed history of your headache and associated problems. I would then perform the comprehensive examination which is a detailed analysis of the whole masticatory system. Once a bite problem is diagnosed the usual treatment is splint therapy.
- You can potentially have sensitive teeth due to the effect on the nerve.
- Pain can be caused if you have open dental tubules.
- You may have mild irritation of the tender tissues in the mouth.
- Your gums can also be irritated if the chemical comes into contact with the gums.If you are overly obsessed with teeth whitening Surrey you can also be at risk of bleachorexia.
It is totally safe to the tooth structure. High concentration bleaches can be caustic to the gums, lips, etc. Some whitening systems involve applying protection to these areas. Poorly fitted whitening trays may also lead to the swallowing of bleach and irritation of the gums. Poorly fitting trays are the biggest problem with DIY kits and other techniques not supervised by the dentist.
Bleaching must NOT be carried out during pregnancy or if you have large cavities in your teeth.
How does teeth bleaching actually whiten teeth?
Oxygen penetrates the tooth structure and breaks down the long-chain staining molecules (these are dark), resulting in short chain molecules, which are light in colour.
Tooth Whitening is dependent on FOUR factors:(A) The Permeability of the tooth structure to Oxygen, which can be enhanced with a technique called Deep Bleaching.(B) The length of time the Bleaching Gel is in contact with the tooth structure (as long as the concentration of Oxygen remains high). (C) The presence or absence of a Chemical Accelerator in the Bleaching Gel(D) The Strength of the product, which affects how much Oxygen, is given off.
Of these factors, the most important is the permeability of the tooth structure to Oxygen. This is itself dependant on the length of time the Bleaching Gel is in contact with the tooth structure, which acts to enhance the tooth’s permeability.
There also needs to be a steady concentration of Oxygen throughout the treatment. This is only every achieved through the use of a Bleaching Tray, which is meant to seal in the gel and keep out any saliva. The only Bleaching Tray in existence that is able to do that is a Deep Bleaching Tray. This was developed over a period of 15 years by U.S. dentist Dr Rod Kurthy, a world authority on bleaching teeth.
There also needs to be a steady concentration of Oxygen throughout the treatment. This is only every achieved through the use of a Bleaching Tray, which is meant to seal in the gel and keep out any saliva. The only Bleaching Tray in existence that is able to do that is a Deep Bleaching Tray. This was developed over a period of 15 years by U.S. dentist Dr Rod Kurthy, a world authority on bleaching teeth.
The presence or absence of a Chemical Accelerator in the Bleaching Gel is also important. This causes the Oxygen to be given off more rapidly, resulting in an effect equal to a higher concentration of Bleaching Gel. But there is catch – the quicker the Oxygen is given off, the quicker it runs out, thus reducing the available treatment time.
And finally if the product does not contain any Peroxide, there is no chance of changing the colour of any tooth. The best you can hope for is just to remove any surface stains.
Bleaching techniques
The Richmond Dentist offers 2 options which are themost predictable ways of whitening your smile:
Full deep bleaching system
Historically the biggest problem with bleaching teeth was predictability and sensitivity. You could just never predict who was going to whiten and who was going to be in pain. Dr Kurthy’s Deep Bleaching has dealt with both these issues.
Sensitivity has virtually been eliminated with the incorporation of a sealant as part of the Deep Bleaching protocol. Again, I will review you half way through the process.
There are 3 visits to the dentist altogether:
- To take impressions for the Deep Bleaching trays
- To condition the teeth with stronger bleach, after which you would then do 14 nights of home whitening
- To return to the dentist for the final teeth whitening session.
Home teeth whitening with deep bleaching trays only
The dentist takes impressions of your teeth and then some deep bleaching trays are made. These trays are loaded with the bleach and you would sleep with them in overnight, usually for 14 nights. You may also be given a regime to assess sensitivity. I would tend to see you half way through the process to see how you are getting on and that there are no problems.
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