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| Teeth Whitening & Bleaching: Separating Fact from Myth for Your Best Experience |
| Take this test. Find out how much you know about teeth whitening/bleaching before you begin any procedure. |
| 1. Bleaching is always completely safe. | |
| True | False |
| 2. I can order the exact shade and color for my teeth. |
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| True | False |
| 3. The stronger the bleach gel, the whiter my teeth will be. |
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| True | False |
| 4. Office bleaching creates the most sustainable results. |
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| True | False |
| 5. Over-the-counter (OTC) home bleaching is much cheaper and as effective as a dentist prescribed office bleaching treatment. |
|
| True | False |
| If you answered "True" to any of the above, you need to read on. | ||
| Myths | Facts | What You Should Do |
| Bleaching is always completely safe. FALSE |
Only if both the dentist and the patient correctly follow protocol or it could do harm to your teeth or your gum tissue. | Consult with a Certified Cosmetic Dentist, an Accredited Member of AACD that is education-centric with proper protocols |
| I can order the exact shade and color for my teeth. FALSE |
Only natural teeth bleach/lighten. However because tooth structure varies with individuals, one cannot 100% predict or order their color. | Expect potential replacement of any dental restorations in the visible smile zone to ensure the newly lightened teeth match and blend. |
| The stronger the bleach gel, the whiter my teeth will be. FALSE |
The strength of the gel only dictates how fast the results can be attained and not its effectiveness. The stronger the gel, the shorter the time it takes to get desired results, but there is a greater potential for more tooth sensitivity. | Weaker gel takes much longer and depending on your sensitivity, it could be an unpleasantly long journey. A qualified dentist is equipped to balance the strength, speed, sensitivity and results to come up with the best solution for you. |
| Office bleaching creates the most sustainable results. FALSE |
Office bleaching uses high concentrated gels. The office methods, like Zoom, usually requires 3-4 sessions to optimally bleach the teeth and each appointment requires about 1 hour, utilizing various energy sources e.g. intense lights or laser to expedite the process. However, the patient has no way to maintain the result. | Today, the gold standard for bleaching incorporates both methods in which the patient undergoes one session of office bleaching which completes about 30% of the process and this is followed by taking home a custom bleaching kit to complete the procedure. This technique will allow the patient to complete the entire process in a matter of days, is cost effective with ability to continue maintenance is possible. |
| Over-the-counter (OTC) home bleaching is much cheaper and as effective as a dentist prescribed office bleaching treatment. FALSE |
OTC home bleaching uses weaker gels to insure safety. It takes considerably more time (several weeks) to achieve optimal results, and a lot more products than the initial purchase, saving not little money and putting the individual through a more difficult, tedious and messy process | Using the gold standard for home bleaching method is to use custom-made mouth trays to keep the gel in contact with the teeth. They are made to fit each individual's mouth. This decreases the likelihood of any bleaching agent either being swallowed or seeping onto and irritating the gum tissue. |