Tooth Whitening

Whitening methods include:

i. In-office Chair Side Bleaching

• For the busy individual who wants ‘instant’ results.
• Teeth can be whitened in one sitting within one to two hours.
• Light-activated bleaching gels to speed up the process, severely discoloured teeth may need repeat
  treatment.
• With proper care, results can last one year.

ii. Dentist-supervised Home Bleaching

• A customised tray to hold the bleach.
• You will be provided syringes of the bleaching gel and taught how to use it.
• Bleaching is done at your convenience at home, for one hour a day.
• This method of tooth whitening is less costly than in-office bleaching. The bleaching process is gradual, over a few weeks, but is kinder to your teeth.
• Your dentist will review your progress regularly until the desired shade is achieved.

iii. Non-vital bleaching

A tooth can discolour after root canal treatment has been performed on the tooth and it usually has a much darker appearance as compared with adjacent teeth.

Non-vital bleaching involves placing the bleaching agent into the pulp chamber of the root canal treated tooth. This can help to lighten the colour of the tooth in some cases. Root canal treated teeth with larger restorations or severe discolouration that cannot be corrected by non-vital bleaching are better crowned.

Procedure:

• A bleaching compound is placed inside the pulp chamber and sealed within the tooth.
• The patient is reviewed in two weeks and if the tooth has been whitened sufficiently, the bleaching compound is removed and the tooth restored.