Teeth Bleaching Made Easy: Essential Steps for a Brighter Smile

Teeth bleaching is a safe and popular cosmetic treatment used to lighten discolored teeth, typically performed by a dentist.

In-office bleaching involves isolating soft tissues using a resin-based light-cured barrier before applying a hydrogen peroxide whitening gel with an accelerator light to increase and accelerate its effect. A curing light may also be utilized in order to accelerate and amplify this whitening effect of hydrogen peroxide.

Extrinsic Stains

Stains on our teeth can often be linked to our diet. Coffee, tea, berries and red wine all leave visible stains on their enamel that stain your enamel surface; therefore, taking a break from these items or drinking through a straw may help. You can prevent further staining by practicing good oral hygiene including twice-daily toothbrushing, daily flossing and professional dental cleanings as well as choosing less staining beverages such as tea and wine. Eventually though, even healthy teeth may start showing signs of ageing and discoloration; thus bleaching can become one of the most popular and effective techniques available today to lighten your smile.

Extrinsic and intrinsic tooth stains can occur for various reasons. Extrinsic stains often appear on the outermost surfaces of your teeth due to indulging in foods or beverages with intense colors, tannins, or sugars; these stains can usually be easily removed by regularly brushing with appropriate toothpaste and scheduling professional whitening treatments at home or the dentist office.

Intrinsic stains, however, can be more challenging to address. They occur when particles that cause staining are able to penetrate your enamel and accumulate inside its outermost layer – the pellicle – of your teeth. They may result from natural ageing processes or exposure to excessive fluoride levels during tooth development as well as from antibiotics like Tetracycline or medications used by certain physicians.

Tooth bleaching can effectively lighten both extrinsic and intrinsic stains, although they may not always be fully removed if they have become embedded over time.

Professional teeth whitening treatment is the best way to remove extrinsic stains and brighten your smile. The procedure involves applying a gel containing either carbamide peroxide (which breaks down into hydrogen peroxide) or hydrogen peroxide directly onto your teeth; its concentration must be carefully managed so as to avoid chemical burns on gums or papilla (the small tips of teeth). Once activated, this whitening gel must sit soaking into enamel for an amount of time, before being rinsed away after soak-off.

Intrinsic Stains

Few things detract from the beauty of a smile quite as much as stained or discolored teeth, though many cases can be reduced with cosmetic dentistry treatments. Tooth staining can usually be reduced or eliminated through cosmetic dentistry procedures; it’s important to first determine what kind of stain it is before beginning treatment – dentists recognize two categories of stains: extrinsic (which occurs on outer enamel surface of tooth) and intrinsic (which occurs deeper within enamel surface), with extrinsic being most prevalent type due to various causes (most likely from smoking, coffee drinking etc).

Coffee, tea, cola, wine, berries and tobacco are among the many causes of extrinsic staining that may contribute to this form of discoloration. Dental injuries or excessive fluoride use may also play a part in this form of staining. Most extrinsic stains are easily removable with hydrogen peroxide-based teeth whitening treatments; however, for extensive or permanent staining it may require professional strength bleaching treatments for maximum success.

Intrinsic stains affect the inner layer of teeth known as dentin and cause more serious forms of discoloration that may include injury, overexposure to fluoride or medications; unlike their extrinsic counterparts, intrinsic stains do not respond well to regular brushing or over-the-counter teeth whitening products; instead cosmetic dentistry treatments like porcelain veneers or dental crowns may be needed to mask discolorations and restore a bright, confident smile.

Nordhus Dentistry in Wichita, Kansas provides cosmetic treatments that can restore your smile’s beauty and boost self-confidence. Please call to arrange an initial consultation so we may explain extrinsic and intrinsic tooth stains as well as all available treatment options to you – our goal is helping you create your best smile! We look forward to helping you do just that!

The Bleaching Process

Teeth bleaching is an increasingly popular cosmetic dental procedure used to lighten the existing shade of teeth. The process utilizes an oxidizing agent – generally hydrogen peroxide – which enters porosities within enamel’s rod-like crystal structure and dissolves chromogens (colored compounds) into less pigmented compounds. Unfortunately, bleaching results are temporary; additional sessions must be repeated.

Bleaching works best on natural, unrestored teeth; its effectiveness may be diminished on veneers and crowns. Unfortunately, its success may be undermined by smoking, the consumption of stain-causing foods and beverages, certain antibiotics like Tetracycline as well as medical conditions like gingivitis.

Home bleaching kits are now widely available. While professional whitening treatments use more potency bleaching gel, their impact may not be monitored and their strength could cause tooth sensitivity. Home kits do not receive this level of oversight and could contain lower concentrations of bleaching agents causing the risk of further tooth sensitivity.

Bleaching procedures typically begin by applying a protective barrier to the gums, followed by applying a high concentration hydrogen peroxide whitening gel to the teeth. Once this step has been completed, an intense source of energy such as blue light is usually used to activate it and activate hydrogen peroxide molecules to break down chromogens and whiten the teeth.

The teeth whitening process typically entails multiple applications of the bleaching gel at regular intervals until desired shade has been reached. Between treatments, your dentist will monitor progress to ensure everything is going as planned and determine when bleaching should cease.

Teeth whitening may be considered for many reasons, with one of the primary being aesthetics: to create more eye-catching smiles. Studies show that smiles can have an enormous effect on personal and professional success; no wonder many are willing to invest time and money in themselves to attain that ultimate smile! Having brighter teeth also encourages patients to practice better oral hygiene habits as they will want to show off their sparkling white gnashers!

The Results

The bleaching process has been proven safe and effective in patients with healthy teeth. Depending on their original starting color and condition, bleaching can lighten them two to eight shades lighter; however, its results will eventually need repeating, with results differing depending on individual patient results.

Bleaching involves applying a hydrogen peroxide-based gel directly onto the teeth surface. The gel typically contains between 10%-44% carbamide peroxide, which breaks down to form hydrogen peroxide in your mouth, or just straight hydrogen peroxide (usually below 3%). Bleaching sessions usually take 40-60 minutes per appointment during which your dentist applies protective layering over gums and papillae to reduce irritation risk while using rubber-like shield called dental dam to keep gel from coming into contact with any soft tissues of your mouth before covering them all with bleaching agent while shining bright light onto it to accelerate its effect whitening effect.

Bleaching works by penetrating the tooth enamel with oxygen molecules to break apart chemical bonds containing chromogens that hold onto them, turning your teeth a lighter shade. Bleaching agents may remove stains caused by tobacco, coffee, tea, red wine and certain berries while being less successful against age or medication like Tetracycline-related stains.

Bleaching can help restore the natural white color of discolored teeth by bleaching. Unfortunately, however, if genetic or injury have rendered your teeth yellow or brown due to genetic inheritance or injury they may not respond as effectively and will need alternative cosmetic options such as veneers or bonding treatments for better results.

At your teeth whitening consultation, the dentist will use a shade guide to assess the current shade of your teeth and predict how much lighter they might become after the whitening treatment. He or she will also gather information regarding lifestyle and diet to ensure the expected outcome will meet with your expectations.