Laser Teeth Whitening

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Prepping the Teeth

• Your teeth will likely be given a prophylactic cleaning to clear away plaque and debris that have collected on the surface and between the teeth.
• A dental exam will be performed (often in tandem with the prophylactic cleaning) to check for potential problems such as severe tooth decay, cracks and gum disease. Bleaches can cause varying degrees of irritation if these conditions are present. Your dentist will likely delay the whitening procedure until such problems have been corrected.
• Photos may be taken of your teeth, and their color measured on a shade guide. This provides a benchmark for assessing your whitening progress.

The In-Office Teeth Whitening Procedure

While details may vary, a fairly standard routine is followed. Typically, the steps involved are not painful or uncomfortable; in fact, many patients doze or watch a DVD or TV during the procedure.

• A cheek retractor is inserted into the mouth, exposing all the “esthetic zone” teeth (teeth that are visible when you smile).
• A liquid rubber dam or hardening resin is painted onto the gum tissue to protect against any irritation caused by the bleaching gel.
• A bleaching gel containing hydrogen peroxide is applied to the esthetic zone teeth and kept on for approximately 15 to 30 minutes.
• The bleaching gel is suctioned or washed off, and fresh gel is applied for one or more additional periods of 15 to 30 minutes.
• Some whitening treatments incorporate an intense light that is focused on the teeth and is said to activate or enhance the bleaching process. Opinions vary as to whether this light improves the bleaching outcome.
• Between gel applications, the teeth are checked to see how well they have whitened, and whether more bleach needs to be applied.
• After the final gel application, the cheek retractors are removed, the patient rinses and the immediate post-treatment shade change is measured. The teeth may whiten by as few as two to three shades or as many as eight (out of a total of 16). Part of the whitening effect is due to dehydration during the bleaching process, which makes the teeth look whiter than their true new color. That color will emerge after a couple of days.

If a satisfactory level of whitening hasn’t been achieved, your dentist may recommend follow-up in-office bleaching at a future date, and/or a regimen of take-home bleaching trays.

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