Teeth whitening treatment
In-Chair and Home Whitening
Here are the actions taken before a tooth whitening procedure:
- An examination of your mouth, cleaning and scaling. A tooth that is free of plaque and tartar will be able to better absorb the whitening agent;
- A check of the nature of the coloration of your teeth. The dentist will then be able to tell you whether or not whitening will improve their color according to your expectations;
- A verification of the contraindications to whitening, if any;
- An evaluation of the current (reference) color of your teeth so that you can compare the whitening results with the reference color. Without the starting color, it will be difficult for you to evaluate the whitening of your teeth. Note that intraoral before/after photos, without the reference color near the teeth, are not of much use for comparison purposes, as the lighting may not be the same between the two photo sessions.
Seek the advice of an oral health care professional first
It is important to seek the advice of an oral health care professional before undertaking a dental brightening procedure if :
- You experience tooth or gum sensitivity when eating or drinking hot or cold foods;
- You have an unpleasant feeling of cold on your teeth when you breathe with your mouth open;
- You have recently received restorative treatment (fillings, root canals, etc.) or are planning to receive one in the near future;
- You have a mouth or gum infection;
- There are ulcers, abscesses, redness, swelling and/or bleeding of the gums;
- The medications you are taking have discolored your teeth.
Absolute Contraindications
A tooth whitening treatment should never be undertaken under the following conditions:
- You are a person under 12 years of age or whose permanent teeth have not yet erupted;
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding (peroxide can cross the placental barrier and affect your fetus and can also be found in your breast milk).
Ideally, people under the age of 18 should not undergo bleaching treatment.
The results of a tooth whitening treatment only last from six months to two years and depend on the person’s oral hygiene.
