Dental whitening
Why whiten teeth?
Whitening the teeth brightens the enamel and dentine. It uses a casted mould and a hydrogen-peroxide based gel. If carried out under proper conditions and under the control of a dental surgeon, it is not toxic or harmful to dental health.
Various factors are involved in dental discoloration:
- It can be hereditary: natural coloration or aging of the teeth.
- Pathological cause: taking drugs while teeth are forming can cause dischromia.
- Lifestyle: coffee, tea, tobacco, wine, tannins, etc.
No dental whitening should be carried out without a prior oral-dental examination and report by the dentist, to make sure that there are no contraindications (untreated cavities, weak enamel, gingival irritation, etc.).
The various dental whitening techniques:
If the dental whitening treatment can be performed at the dentist’s office by a technique known as a “chair” procedure, it is generally then completed on an outpatient basis at your home.
Outpatient dental whitening:
This treatment starts at the dentist’s office with a cast made of your teeth and continues at home using a hydrogen-peroxide gel.
"Chair” dental whitening:
This requires two or three visits to the dentist of about 30 to 60 minutes each.