Teeth whitening
What is teeth whitening?
Teeth whitening is an aesthetic treatment whose objective is to eliminate dental stains and lighten the color of the teeth by several shades to achieve a whiter smile.
The treatment consists of applying a chemical product—hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide—that makes the enamel porous, thus allowing the bleaching agent to penetrate the dentinal tubules located in the dentin, the middle layer of the tooth. In this way, we make the tooth lighter.
Types of whitenings:
Depending on where it is performed
Whitening in clinic:
In whitening treatments performed in the office, we use bleaching products with a high concentration of peroxide that can only be administered by a dental professional.
Home whitening / at home:
We provide the patient with custom-made splints and syringes with a bleaching product with a lower concentration of oxidizing agents than the product used in the clinic. At home, the patient must apply the gel from the syringes to the splints and place them following the instructions provided by the dentist. Although the patient performs this treatment at home, we will monitor it from the clinic to ensure that it develops correctly.
Mixed whitening:
In whitening treatments performed in the office, we use bleaching products with a high concentration of peroxide that can only be administered by a dental professional.
is the type of whitening that we perform most in our clinics. It consists of the combination of both techniques (in-office whitening and at-home whitening) to achieve the best results. In the in-office sessions, we achieve rapid and strong whitening, which we subsequently stabilize with daily applications of bleaching product at home.
At Abaden, we have different protocols that vary in the number of sessions performed in the clinic (from 1 to 4 sessions of approximately 60 minutes each) and in the length of the treatment at home.
We recommend one protocol or another depending on the characteristics of the patient’s teeth and their specific needs.
Whitening in vital teeth:
vital teeth are those that retain blood flow and innervation, that is, that retain the nerve; they are living teeth. The whitening treatments specified in the previous section are performed on vital teeth.
Whitening in non-vital teeth / internal whitening:
a non-vital tooth is one that no longer has blood flow or a nerve. For example, if the patient has had a root canal or has suffered trauma that has affected the nerve. In these cases, and over time, the tooth may become discolored, becoming more yellow or brown. To perform internal whitening, the dentist must access the pulp cavity (space where the nerve was previously housed), clean it, disinfect it, and then apply the bleaching product (hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide).
At Abaden, we have been
improving smiles for over 40 years.
Procedure of a whitening
1. Review and clinical session
We will carry out a complete dental examination, with photos and x-rays, to know the condition of the patient’s teeth and gums. With these records, the medical team will meet and study the case together to obtain an accurate diagnosis and a comprehensive treatment plan.
2. Hygiene and measurements
We will perform a complete cleaning a few days before starting the whitening to remove bacterial plaque and more superficial stains. This will leave the enamel clean and prepared for treatment. In this same session, we will take the necessary measurements to make the personalized splints for whitening at home.
3. Color selection
A record is made of the current color of the teeth and the color that is desired to be achieved with the composite dental veneers.
4. In-office whitening session
The patient should apply the bleaching product daily to the custom-made splints that we will have given them on the day of the in-office session. The dentist will tell you how long you should wear the splints (usually between 90 minutes and 3 hours). During the treatment and up to 10 days after it ends, the patient must follow a white diet and avoid tobacco consumption.
5. At-home whitening and white diet
We will apply the bleaching product to the surface of the teeth, first performing an isolation that allows us to protect the patient’s gums and mucous membranes. The whitening products we use are chemoactivatable, so they do not require light to initiate their whitening activity. However, the application of LED light will help catalyze the product, accelerating its activity and helping to improve results.
6. Reviews and final comparison
During the treatment, reviews will be carried out to monitor its progress. Once finished, our dentists will assess the results with the patient.
It is advisable to carry out annual check-ups after finishing the treatment, given that whitening is not for life and it will be necessary to carry out maintenance; especially if the patient is a smoker or often consumes foods that stain the teeth (coffee, tea, etc.)
How much does dental whitening cost?
The price of whitening varies depending on the specific needs of each patient and it is necessary to carry out a personalized study to know them. As we have already mentioned, there are different types of whitening and different protocols that differ in the number of sessions performed in the clinic and in the length of the treatment at home. The cost of simple mixed or combined whitening (with fewer sessions) is €398.
Frequently asked questions
Can all dental stains be removed with whitening?
There are dental stains that cannot be removed solely with teeth whitening and we must resort to other treatments.
This is the case, for example, of hypoplastic stains, which in some cases require dental microabrasion. This treatment consists of polishing the superficial layer of enamel (the one that is damaged) and replacing it with composite.
Another type of stain that cannot be removed only with whitening are those produced by tetracyclines (broad-spectrum antibiotics that are used to treat bacterial infections). In these cases, we recommend the placement of veneers that cover the vestibular surface of the teeth, in addition to whitening prior to treatment with veneers to reduce the tone of the tooth. In this way, the result will be much more natural.
Does the treatment last forever?
No, whitening does not last a lifetime. Furthermore, its duration depends a lot on the patient’s habits. If a patient is a smoker, it is likely that over time the tobacco will darken the teeth again. It also occurs in patients who drink a lot of coffee or tea, for example. It is important to carry out check-ups and, if tones have been lost over time, we can carry out whitening maintenance to recover the lost tones.
Does teeth whitening damage the enamel?
No. Whitening is an oxidation process that the bleaching product performs when it comes into contact with oxygen in the environment, which implies that in no case is it a polishing of enamel layers or demineralization thereof. Only if the treatment is not carried out correctly can it damage the teeth. If it is done with the appropriate products and following the dentist’s guidelines, it is a totally safe treatment.
Does everyone get the same results?
Not everyone whitens the same tones. With the same concentration of product and following the same pattern, there will be patients who whiten more than others, mainly because what we are looking for is to bring the tooth to the maximum saturation it can achieve, which may vary in each patient.
Is at-home teeth whitening the same or similar to those sold online?
It is important to emphasize that the product used in at-home whitening sessions contains oxidizing agents with properties to change the real color of the tooth, so it differs significantly from those supposedly whitening products that can be purchased in pharmacies, supermarkets or even online. Spanish law expressly prohibits the marketing of products whose composition includes oxidizing agents in an effective percentage due to the risks involved in their handling without the supervision of a professional. Instead, these products contain erosive and abrasive agents that will not be able to modify the color of the tooth and that will only be effective with the most superficial stains, in the same way that a professional oral cleaning is.
Can the treatment cause tooth sensitivity?
Whitening CAN cause sensitivity. This is due to the whitening gel and dehydration of the teeth during the process. It is something temporary and usually goes away in 48-72 hours.
Can I get whitening if I have tooth sensitivity?
In those cases in which the patient presents a previous sensitivity, we will apply a desensitizing treatment and we will see how this sensitivity evolves. If it evolves favorably, we can proceed to perform the whitening.
If sensitivity appears during or after the whitening treatment, we can also perform desensitizing treatments. The products used will be different depending on when this sensitivity appears.
How is the bleaching product activated?
The activation of the bleaching product can be of several kinds; the most common today are chemical and light. At Abaden Dentistas, we use a chemoactivatable high-concentration bleaching agent, so the product applied itself is solely responsible for the color change in the tooth. However, we use LED light lamps to help accelerate the activation of the bleaching agent during sessions in the clinic.
Can I get whitening if I am a smoker? Can I smoke during treatment?
If you are a smoker, you CAN have the treatment. The only drawback in smokers is that the durability will be less. In addition, ideally you should not smoke during the treatment and in the days after. During the teeth whitening process, a series of products are applied that make the enamel more permeable and porous and, therefore, may be more affected by dyes and pigments present in some foods and in tobacco.
After whitening, the tooth takes a few days to recover its usual impermeability. For this reason, we recommend that our patients follow a white diet for up to ten days after the last application of the bleaching gel on the dental surface.
Is teeth whitening contraindicated in any case?
Before carrying out the treatment, we will carry out a review and a personalized study of your case to verify that your teeth and gums are healthy. If they are not, whitening will be contraindicated. Likewise, we do not recommend carrying out the treatment on people under 16 years of age, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and those who are undergoing fertility treatment.
Financing
In our clinics we offer flexible, comfortable and adapted financing solutions to your budget, to help you get the dental treatment you need.
- Financing: Up to 12 months without interest. Up to 60 months with preferential conditions.
- Payment splitting: pay monthly in comfortable installments for the treatment.
- We facilitate a discount for prompt payment paying the entire treatment at the beginning.
- Multiple payment options: direct debit, credit card, cash, transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Bizum.
Our clinics are located in Catalonia
(opening hours from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday)
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