Bleaching is a technique used to make your natural teeth look whiter.
No enamel needs to be removed, filed off or burned away.
Drinking tea, coffee or red wine, smoking or simply ageing makes teeth darker or spotty. Professional whitening is performed using active oxygen, which bleaches annoying discolorations in the teeth. The picture above shows the yellowish color before bleaching, the picture below shows the patient’s teeth afterwards.
First, the gums are covered using a special rubber material – which protects them during bleaching. Only real teeth can be bleached (no crowns, bridges or veneers). Bleaching is the best way to begin ceramic – technical treatment.
Once the gums have been covered and the teeth are dry, the bleaching solution is prepared using a two-step mixing process and then applied to the teeth. Before bleaching, the teeth and fillings should be checked by the dentist and, if necessary, professional cleansing (dental hygiene) performed!
The bleaching solution is left to work on the teeth, after which it is removed and the teeth rinsed with water. The protective rubber covering is also removed. Bleaching can be done once every 2 years, with no adverse effects.
Your teeth are as unique as you are. They will definitely become whiter, as can be seen in this picture – just how much whiter depends on the original color of your teeth. Depending on the degree of discoloration, whitening is possible from about 1 – 14 hues. The brighter color usually stays for about 1-3 years – or longer, assuming proper and regular professional dental hygiene. Heavy consumption of substances leading to discoloration (alcohol, nicotine, red juices, tea, coffee, cola, red wine, mustard, ketchup …) as well as insufficient dental hygiene will again cause pigmentation.
Better bleaching results from halogen lamps and/or lasers has not been scientifically proven – this just makes the teeth dry out more. The end result may look „better“, but this effect only holds for a short period of time, 1-2 days at the most; and the disadvantage to using lamps is that teeth can be damaged by drying out.