Once a patient named Benita, aged 16 came to DECCAN DENTAL CLINIC, PUNE with the chief complaint of discoloration of her front teeth. She was quite worried about her aesthetics and wanted to whiten the teeth as early as possible.
Benita asked us what is the cause of the discoloration in her front teeth. So firstly we explained Benita about the etiology of teeth discoloration.
So we Explained to her each possible causes
Causes of tooth discoloration are:
- Coffee and stains
- Cigarette
- Diet
- Tobacco
- Trauma to tooth
- Tetracycline stains
- Jaundice
- Enamel hypoplasia
Indications of laser teeth whitening
- Generalised stains on your teeth;
- Aging teeth
- Smoking and dietary stains such as those of tea and coffee;
- Dental fluorosis – fluorosis with multiple spots on teeth may benefit from whitening;
- Tetracycline staining – not all cases of those who have suffered from tetracycline staining will be fully corrected, but many will improve dramatically
- There have been changes inside your tooth e.g. death of the nerve or root canal treatment.
Then Benita asked that what will be the procedure of teeth whitening
Teeth whitening with LASER :
The laser bleaching procedure allows you to have a whiter smile just in 30 minutes. Generally, onetime bleaching is sufficient. A bleaching handpiece should be used for this. The bleaching agent should have more than 35% H2O2.
Teeth Whitening Procedure
- Select the present shade of the teeth.
- Do the scaling and polishing.
- Retract the cheek with the cheek retractor.
- Dry the tooth surface and apply gum dam and cure it with light cure
- Dispense the whitening solution in dappen dish.
- Apply the solution on the tooth surface with the applicator tip.
- Assemble the laser unit as follows:
- Remove the steel screw of blue pen and attach the screw given for bleaching handpiece
- Make sure that the fiber does not pot out of the screw.
- The doctor, assistant, and the patient should wear the eyewear before starting the laser procedure.
- Do five cycles for the upper and lower arch for 45 seconds each.
- Wait for 10 minutes.
- Mix the applied solutions on the teeth surface.
- Repeat the cycle after 10 minutes,5 cycles of 45 seconds each.
- Flush the solution with water.
- Remove the applied gum dam.
- Check the shade for the result.
And the laser teeth whitening is done.
In-office teeth whitening :
It requires less time. In this technique, the whitening gel is applied directly to the teeth. Results are seen in 30 to 40 minutes of treatment. Sometimes it requires more appointments according to the patient’s shade.
Then Benita was excited about the treatment and at the same time was curious to know about how long the whitening will persists?
Teeth whitening results last for :
It is not permanent. If people start to eat foods or beverages that cause stains, then whiteness of teeth may start to fade. If these food items and beverages are avoided then whitening may last for one year or longer. The degree of whitening will vary from patient to patient according to their teeth condition.
Benita was informed about the advantages and disadvantages of the teeth whitening in detail before commencing the treatment.
Advantages of laser teeth whitening:
- Takes less time
- More efficacious
- Quick results
- painless procedure
- Reduces anxiety
- Minimize bleeding, scarring and swelling
- Reduce bacterial infections
Disadvantages of laser teeth whitening:
- Technique sensitive
- Sometimes hard lasers can injure the dental pulp
- Enamel demineralization may sometimes occur in rare cases
- Lasers cannot be used on teeth that already have certain types of restoration like dental amalgam.
- Some lasers still require local anesthesia
Benita asked what is the difference between the treatment charges with lasers?
When compared to the conventional dental procedures, we are charging only 10 to 25 % extra with the laser; so that everyone can afford painless and precise procedures with the laser.
Once Benita was clear with what exactly she is getting in the least possible amount she readily booked an appointment of the very next day for her.