Bleaching is a procedure applied by dentists to patients who are not satisfied with the colour of their teeth. This procedure is divided into office type (performed by a physician) and home type (performed with transparent plates and gels that the patient will apply at home after office whitening).
Office Type Teeth Whitening
After examining the patient, a barrier application is made to protect the gums and soft tissues. An agent containing hydrogen peroxide is applied to the dentist’s chair and waited for 15 minutes. After the period, the chemical agent is cleaned, and the treatment can be used two more times until the desired tone is achieved.
Home Type Teeth Whitening
A transparent plate is prepared according to the size taken from the patient. This plate and home-type whitening gels provided, and the patient is told to rub the gel into the plate and attach the plate before going to sleep.
Tooth whitening is mainly used to remove yellow discolourations and is not preferred for discolourations due to prior antibiotic (tetracycline) use. Tooth whitening does not lighten the colour of porcelain coating and filling materials in the patient’s mouth. Therefore, in the pre-procedure examination, the patient is informed that colour inconsistencies between coatings/fillings and his/her teeth may be seen. If the veneers are also to be renewed, it is best to renew them two weeks after the whitening process.
After the procedure, some sensitivity is normal for the first 2-3 days. Fluoride application can be applied to the patient to eliminate this. It is recommended not to eat or drink very hot-cold things for 2 hours after the procedure.
With the photos taken after the procedure, the result can be seen immediately. Still, it takes two weeks for the colour to settle completely.
Especially in the first week after the procedure, drinks that cause discolouration on the teeth, such as tea, coffee, orange juice, should be avoided.
In line with the patient’s expectations and the dentist’s approval, home-type whitening can be done to lighten the tooth tone a little more after the office type, but it is not mandatory.
After bleaching, depending on the patient’s diet, coffee, tea, cigarette consumption and oral
hygiene, it may take months for the teeth to return to their old tone.