Bleaching

Many patients are very excited about photos of celebrities in the magazines- they all have such brilliant white teeth! That is exactly what they want to look like. However, what looks great in a magazine or on screen would be irritating in everyday life: Central Europeans do not really have white teeth. Their "white" is slightly yellow-greyish - which looks more natural to the pale tone of the skin. Many patients do not know how white their own teeth are normally because their teeth are discoloured by pigment deposits (red wine, nicotine, coffee, tea). Before you think about lightening your teeth artificially (or whitening/bleaching), you should first check if the original white of your teeth is not beautiful enough already. After a professional tooth cleaning (individual prophylaxis), as it is offered in more and more dental practices today, all discoloration is eliminated and the teeth are polished to a high gloss. Now you can decide: to bleach or not to bleach?

Bleaching dental arches
In order for the bleaching agent to encase the teeth, a bleaching tray is made - after an accurate impression of your own teeth. In it goes the whitening agent (consists mainly of carbamide peroxide, which induces the bleaching effect by an oxygen reaction). At first it will be tested how the teeth react to the preparation. Accordingly, it will be discussed how long you should wear the tray. In awareness of the effect, it might be necessary to wear the bleaching tray all night.
It will not be done in session: it will be necessary to go through several bleaching sessions until the desired level of whitening is achieved.

Bleaching of single teeth
Sometimes only a single tooth is desired to be brightened up, e.g. one that died and darkened after an accident. This tooth is drilled from the back and filled with a bleaching agent. The "hole" is covered, the preparation will be kept in the tooth for some time. This bleaching filling process has to be repeated a few times. At the end a final filling is injected and the tooth is resealed. At the same time, it is usual to brighten from the outside as well: applied bleach reacts with oxygen after exposure to heat, making the tooth appear "whiter".

Bleaching in practice
Of course, it is also possible to have the teeth whitened directly in the practice in just one session lasting about one hour. For this, the gum is carefully covered with a mask and the special bleach will be applied. While this process is taking place, you can read or watch a movie.
All bleaching processes have been tried and tested for years and are sufficiently scientifically sound, you have no damage to fear.

Yours sincerely
Joint dental practice
Maria Tsiatsi and Dr. Uwe Leuschner