Teeth Whitening or Bleaching
Tooth whitening also known as Dental bleaching, is a common procedure to restores natural tooth color and bleaching whitens beyond the natural color. Teeth whitening helps to remove stains, discoloration and improve the aesthetic appearance of teeth.
Every day, a thin coating forms on the enamel (the thin outer covering of the tooth) and picks up stains. Tooth enamel also has pores which can hold stains.
White teeth are sign of the good oral health, make beautiful smile and gives you more confidence. Unfortunately, avoiding yellow teeth is not as simple as you may think.
Some common reasons to get stained or yellow teeth are:
It is also possible to have stains inside the tooth which called intrinsic stains. Intrinsic stains on your teeth occur when dentin (the inner tissue of the tooth) gets a yellow tint or turns dark.
Intrinsic stains may occur for different reasons like:
There are two type of main teeth whitening in general:
Non-Vital Whitening
It is done on a tooth that has had root-canal treatment and no longer has a live nerve. In Non-Vital Whitening, dentist will use a different procedure by placing a whitening agent inside the tooth and put a temporary filling over it to whitens the tooth from the inside. Tooth with non-vital whitening will be left this way for few days. This procedure may be done only once, or repeated till the tooth reaches the desired shade.
Vital Whitening
Vital whitening is performed on teeth that have live nerves. Tooth whitening can be done in the dentist’s office or at home (it is recommended to only use chairside whitening or dentist-supervised home whitening kit). The most common type vital tooth whitening uses a gel-like whitening solution that is applied directly to the tooth surface. Chairside whitening allows your dentist to use a more powerful whitening gel, specialized light or laser to activates the gel and allows bleaching to happen faster.
Is there any side effect or risk involved in teeth whitening?
It is unlikely that teeth whitening cause any serious side effects if it is done correctly by professional or under dentist supervision, although some people’s may experience some sensitivity to cold for a short while. Some may also experience mild gum irritation, discomfort in the gums, a sore throat or white patches on the gum line. These symptoms are usually temporary and should disappear within a few days after finishing whitening.