Dental Implants & Dentures The Quick Way to that Film Star Smile | Page 11

INTRINSIC TOOTH WHITENING
Dentist will often use laser treatment as it is highly effective and can reduce the time and discomfort
considerably. But don’t be fooled into thinking this is some sci-fi technique as it uses the same basic
principles. How it works is that the dentist will initially protect the gums by covering them with a protective
gel and then apply the same peroxide solution used in over the counter remedies onto the teeth. The
difference is that the dentist then uses a laser – an argon or CO2 laser- to heat up and agitate the chemicals
to perform much more quickly. The results are similar with something like eight shades of white being
achievable but just in a much shorter time.
But when the cause of the tooth discolouration is due to internal rather than external staining a dentist will
approach the task differently. In this case a dentist will use a different procedure as the stain is inside the
dentine of the tooth rather than on the surface enamel. Typically they will place a whitening agent inside the
tooth and then put a temporary filling over it. The tooth will be left this way for several days and the
procedure is often repeated until the tooth reaches the correct shade.