Teeth whitening

With the daily consumption of food and drinks, teeth are constantly exposed to various pigments that change their colour. When these stains are superficial, they can be successfully removed by cleaning and polishing the teeth with airflow. Deeper discolouration of the dental tissues requires whitening. This is a procedure that removes these stains and additionally lightens the colour of the tooth. Professional whitening can be done in-office or at home. Before either option, the teeth must be cleaned and polished, usually in a separate visit. Whitening does not damage the tooth in any way and is not harmful, as long as it is performed under the supervision of a dentist and with professional products! It is contraindicated during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

In-office whitening uses a chemical agent with a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide. It is called in-office because it is performed at the clinic, under the supervision of a dentist, and takes a single visit of about an hour and a half. The starting shade of the teeth is determined in advance using a shade guide, so at the end of the procedure the patient can see by how many shades their teeth have lightened. Before whitening begins, a special barrier is applied to isolate the gums and the sensitive tooth necks. This is necessary because the gel is highly concentrated and can cause burns on contact with soft tissues. Different products may be used for this type of whitening, with or without additional activation (whitening lamp, laser, etc.).

For at-home whitening, thin custom trays are made in advance after taking an impression of the patient's teeth. A gel is then applied inside these trays and left on the teeth for a set time, with the patient performing the whitening at home over the course of about two weeks. With this type of whitening, the concentration of the whitening agent is different, which makes the gel safe for home use. The trays are reusable, allowing the patient to maintain the achieved shade in the future with a new application of gel after a professional cleaning.