Whitening is the process of whitening teeth using a custom fit tray and bleaching agent. This involves having impressions taken from which laboratory fabricated custom vinyl trays are made. A carbamide peroxide gel is placed in these trays and the trays with gel are worn for about 3 hours, or overnight. The entire process takes 2-3 weeks of daily use. Three different strengths of gel may be used, however the higher the strength the greater the likelihood of reactions or tooth sensitivity. For maintenance of whitened teeth the trays should be used every several months. Teeth whitening can also be completed in one appointment in our office. Typically, the bleach is applied by one of our highly trained staff members and further activated through the use of an ultraviolet light. These appointments vary in length from 1-1.5 hours in length.
Internal Bleaching
Internal bleaching is the process of whitening a tooth from “the-inside-out”. Typically, a tooth that has had a root canal is much darker than the surrounding teeth. Most teeth are crowned following completion of a root canal. If, however, there is minimal damage to the tooth following the root canal, the tooth can be lightened through this process.
