teeth
bleaching / teeth whitening
What
is the right term: tray teeth bleaching, tray teeth whitening,
at-home whitening, nightguard bleaching, or vital bleaching?
Each
of the terms, tray teeth bleaching, tray teeth whitening,
at-home teeth bleaching, nightguard teeth bleaching, and
vital bleaching can be used to refer to the whitening process
we describe here on our pages, but not universally so. As
a way of helping you to effectively communicate with your
dentist, here is a brief description of some of the types
of tooth bleaching methods that currently exist in the field
of dentistry.
"In-office"
and "at-home" teeth bleaching.
In
the past, actually during all of the decades preceding the
1990's, the vast majority of teeth bleaching treatments
provided by dentists were "in-office" procedures. This simply
means that the actual bleaching process was performed while
the patient was in the dentist's dental chair.
During the in-office bleaching process a patient's gums
and lips are first protected and then a potent bleaching
agent is applied to their teeth, which is left on for some
minutes before being washed off. The effects of this type
of bleaching are immediate. It might, however, take several
appointments before the desired level of whitening is achieved.
At-home tray-based teeth bleaching, the process we discuss
on our pages, is a more recent phenomenon. It became popular
in the 1990's and is now the most common method by which
teeth are whitened (although there still can be a need for
in-office bleaching with some patients). Another name for
the tray-based method of teeth bleaching is "nightguard
bleaching".
At-home
tray teeth whitening systems have some advantages over in-office
bleaching. The whitener that is used typically contains
a lower concentration of peroxide, which can make the potential
for problems with side effects less of an issue. Since this
technique is an out-patient process, a dentist can often
charge less for this procedure than for in office bleaching
because the patient's bleaching treatments do not require
a dental office setting or the presence of the dentist.
Vital
and non-vital teeth bleaching.
The
term "vital bleaching" simply means that the teeth undergoing
the bleaching process have live nerve tissue in them. "Non-vital
bleaching" refers to whitening those teeth that have had
root canal treatment. Both a tray-based system and most
in office bleaching techniques can be used with both vital
and non-vital teeth.
When
talking with your dentist.
So
to help you communicate accurately with your dentist regarding
the type of teeth bleaching we describe on our pages, we suggest
you use one of the following terms:
- at-home
tray-based (vital) teeth bleaching (or whitening)
- nightguard
(vital) teeth bleaching (or whitening)
Even
if you do have a tooth or two which is non-vital (has had
root canal treatment) the term "vital bleaching" still applies
when utilizing a tray bleaching system because of the vital
status of the neighboring teeth which will be undergoing
the bleaching process also.
At
Home Teeth Bleaching:
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