Teeth Whitening
To answer the question “Can whitening procedures exert markable effect?”, we should understand closely the teeth discoloration classification and associated causes which are decisive factors of whitening effectiveness
Two main groups of teeth discoloration:
- Extrinsic discoloration: the stains that remain on outer surface of your teeth
- Intrinsic discoloration: dentin – the inner structure of the teeth darkens or gets a yellow tint; the stains that are formed in the minor cracks on the outer enamel
Whitening toothpaste and mouthrinse solely work on the extrinsic stains. Only bleaching agents are able to remove both extrinsic and “stubborn” intrinsic stains effectively to regain your dazzling smile.
Either Carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide in the bleaching gel is an active whitening ingredient that infiltrates the enamel to get to discolored molecules. Oxygen molecules released from the bleaching agents react with the discolored particles, breaking them into smaller pieces. The oxygen molecules spread, whitening the entire teeth. After all, patients are left with a dazzling whiter smile.
Result
Many clinical researches have shown that normal teeth shade is able to brightened up to 9 tones (based on the standard shade system of vita). However, the results in practice may vary among people, which depends on the original teeth shade and responding capacity of teeth to bleaching agents
About 95% of population presenting with excellent responding capacity of their teeth to bleaching agents achieve the whitening results as they desire while the others’ teeth does not respond well to the whitening procedure at all.
People whose teeth are less able to adapt to the whitening procedure are more likely to return to their original teeth shade in the first place. In cases of tetracycline or brown fluorosis discoloration, whitening may obtain success of varying degrees. However, there are heavy cases of discoloration that whitening procedure fails to achieve the desired results.
Pre-treatment consultation with the dentist is initial essential step to know if you are a good candidate for whitening procedure, which helps prevent risks to the utmost.
