Forms of whitening
synonym
Teeth whitening, bleaching
English: bleaching methods
The whitening process
Bleaching (tooth whitening) is a method to artificially lighten the tooth color and to restore discolored teeth to a brilliant white.
Most of the time they are used for whitening Preparations for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-Base used, these substances can penetrate the tooth substance and release so-called oxygen radicals there. Radicals in general are molecules that have one or more unpaired electrons and, for this reason, particularly like to react with other molecules.
The oxygen radicals released in the tooth substance tend to react chemically with color particles. The consequence of this is that the color properties of these particles are lost and they therefore appear colorless.
From this mechanism of action it can be seen that bleaching agents cannot be harmless to the tooth.
There are several methods of whitening teeth, the simplest of which can be used by the patient at home.
Forms of whitening
Oxidative whitening:
At the oxidative whitening a chemical gel is applied to the tooth surface, which leads to a chemical reaction with the tooth. The cause of the reaction is the chemical constituent of the gel. It refers to Hydrogen peroxidewhich is also known from hair coloring. In the reaction between tooth gel with the Enamel hydrogen radicals are created that discolor the tooth. The chemical process can be accelerated by a special lamp that is held on the teeth after the gel has been applied to the tooth surface. The reason for this acceleration is that the light rays cause the hydrogen peroxides to break down more quickly.
Reductive whitening:
At the reductive whitening In this process, a chemical substance is also applied to the tooth surface. However, this does not remove any color from the tooth, but specifically oxygen molecules. The applied gels mostly consist of sulfur compounds, which have a particularly strong ability to remove oxygen.
Laser whitening:
At the Laser bleaching After the bleaching gel has been applied, a laser is aimed at the pretreated areas. This laser beam leads to an accelerated reaction and thus to a faster brightening. The irradiation time by the laser is about 1 minute.
Home whitening:
With home bleaching, an impression of the teeth is first made. A dental splint is then made from this impression, which is then filled with a chemical gel. With home bleaching, patients should then wear the splint for different lengths of time each day. The wearing time should be between one and eight hours a day. As a rule, around seven applications, five hours each, are sufficient to remove slight discolouration.
Power whitening:
In “power bleaching”, high-dose agents are used, which is why it can only be carried out in a dental practice. In order to protect the gums from possible damage, a cofferdam must be placed before the actual treatment. Then the whitening agent is applied to the teeth and irradiated with short-wave light.
The application takes between 15 and 45 minutes and can be repeated if the result is insufficient.
Walking Bleach Technique:
The “walking bleaching technique” is a bit more drastic, because the whitening gel is applied to the tooth with this bleaching method. However, this is only possible with teeth that have been treated with root canals.
Dead teeth (e.g. due to injuries or trauma) or dead teeth (e.g. after a nerve inflammation) have the peculiarity of discolouring and thus showing a sometimes clear color difference to their neighboring teeth. In this case, the so-called walking bleach technique can be carried out, in which a chemical is injected into the tooth that is still open. Then the tooth is closed as usual. The whitening agent remains inside the tooth for about 1-2 days and is then removed again. Only then does the final closure of the tooth follow. In the process, the bleach does not work from the outside in, but vice versa.
Foil whitening:
Most of the lightening processes are chemical processes. However, one process is purely mechanical, but is not used as often as the others. This is a technique in which teeth to be whitened are coated with a very thin film. The film can be selected lighter or darker as required. The film process is mostly used to whiten the incisors. The reason is that these teeth have the largest flat surface and are therefore the easiest to coat. Molars and lateral teeth are often more asymmetrical and angular and are not suitable for foil whitening. During the procedure, it must be taken into account that there can be considerable color differences between the coated teeth and the neighboring teeth, which produce cosmetically unsightly results. The shelf life of foil bleaching is roughly the same as that of the other methods. In rare cases, the film may wrinkle or tear.
Read more on this topic at: iWhite Instant
