Will a laser or a light be used during your teeth whitening treatments? What whiteners are used?

What whitener do dentists use when performing professional teeth whitening treatments? Dentists usually purchase in-office teeth whitening compounds as part of a teeth bleaching "kit" or "system". The whiteners sold by different manufacturers will vary in composition, but in terms of peroxide content these products typically contain between 15 to 50% hydrogen peroxide. In comparison, at-home teeth whitening products typically make use of teeth whiteners that contain an equivalent of 3 to 10% hydrogen peroxide. It has been suggested that, as a ballpark estimate, possibly one to two hours of in-office whitening produces the same whitening effect as one to two weeks of at-home tray-based whitening. The fact that a dentist will typically purchase an in-office teeth whitener as part of a manufacturer's "kit" or "system" implies that the manufacturer has created a specific protocol for the use of the whitener. As we have mentioned previously, with some professional teeth whitening systems this protocol includes the use of an "activation" light or laser. Some of the brand names of the systems that make use of an "activating" light source are:

Professional teeth whitening. Page 1 Which is best, in-office or at-home teeth whitening? What are the advantages and disadvantages of professional teeth whitening? Page 2 and 3 What steps are involved with professional teeth whitening? Page 4 What type of teeth whitener is utilized? Should a laser or a light be used during the treatment? Page 5 How much does professional whitening cost? What level of whitening results can be expected? Page 6 What side effects are associated with professional teeth whitening?    At-home teeth whitening. Whitening strips Tray whitening

BrightSmile ™ - Gas plasma / light emitting diode. Zoom! ™ - Metal halide light. LaserSmile ™ - A Biolase ® laser. LumaArch ™ - Halogen light. Rembrandt ® Sapphire ™ - Sapphire plasma arc light. You may be familiar with some of these names because their manufacturers promote them using national advertising campaigns.

Are bleaching lights or lasers really an important part of professional teeth whitening? There is a bit of controversy in the dental community as to whether the light "activation" step actually contributes to the teeth whitening process. The manufacturers of light "activated" whitening products make the claim that the light speeds up the whitening process. While the specific rational associated with each company's product differs, the general idea is usually that the light or laser "activation" causes a quicker degradation of the peroxide whitener into its active component. This in turn speeds up the rate at which the tooth lightening process takes place. Historically there seemed to be a general acceptance by the dental community that this was true. Now days there is a general realization by dentists that not all clinical studies looking into this matter have confirmed this as fact. Several well-constructed studies seem to have concluded that the bleaching compounds associated with many professional teeth whitening systems seemed to lighten teeth effectively whether or not an "activation" light source was used at all. These studies were set up as "split arch" evaluations. This means that the teeth on one side of the person's mouth were treated with just the in-office whitener alone while the teeth on the other side were exposed to both the bleaching compound and the "activating" light source. As we stated, in these studies the evaluators came to the conclusion that the teeth on both sides lightened equally well. For this reason many dentists and whitening product manufacturers alike don't incorporate a light source into their teeth whitening methodology. Some of the brand names of the systems that do not make use of an "activating" light or laser are: Opalescence ® Xtra ® Boost ™ Niveous ™ Rembrandt ® Lighten ® Gel

Are there reasons why a professional teeth whitening system should not include an "activator" light or laser in its methodology? There does seem to be a general consensus in the dental community that there is an association between the amount of heat generated by an "activating" light or laser and the potential for post operative tooth sensitivity or pain after the bleaching treatment has been completed. However this source for causing tooth discomfort may be less common place than it was a few years ago. The trend in professional teeth bleaching today is that if an "activator" light source is utilized at all it is one that is relatively "less intense" than the previous generations of lights. Whereas historically "activator" light sources where known to have potential for producing significant temperature changes in teeth, today's lights have less potential for creating this heating effect. This in turn is thought to lessen the likelihood of tooth discomfort being a problem after professional teeth whitening treatments.