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Teeth whitening

Teeth whitening

Teeth whitening / whitening

A tooth whitening enables gentle and sustainable whitening of the tooth color within a short time. By using active oxygen, disturbing pigments are gently removed and the tooth is brightened until the desired effect is achieved. The degree of whitening depends on the individual requirements of the patient (age, natural basic color of the teeth, texture of the tooth enamel and tooth core, pretreatment of the teeth, etc.) and the selected whitening method.

It has also been scientifically proven that professional bleaching at the dentist’s teeth does not damage teeth or gums under dental control. In this way, tooth discoloration can be quickly and easily removed.

Reasons for whitening

Tooth discoloration can occur on the surface or inside the tooth. Superficial tooth discoloration is caused, among other things, by the consumption of tea, tobacco smoke, coffee or red wine. Accidents, root canal treatments or certain medications can also cause discoloration from the inside. The natural darkening of the teeth is also seen as a nuisance by many people.

If normal oral hygiene and regular professional teeth cleaning are not enough to counteract this process satisfactorily, professional teeth whitening can help.

Prerequisite for bleaching

Basically, tooth whitening is suitable for everyone. The following groups of people should refrain from doing so for health reasons: children, pregnant women, breastfeeding women and people with serious illnesses.

General requirements for whitening are:

  • Oral health and healthy teeth
  • Good oral hygiene
  • Restoration of teeth with caries
  • Refurbishment of leaking fillings
  • Thorough prior examination of the teeth
  • Individual assessment of fillings, crowns, etc.

It is important that a professional tooth cleaning is carried out before each whitening (no longer than 3 months before the whitening) and that there is no acute gingivitis.

Tooth whitening methods

Depending on the tooth structure and whitening goal, different bleaching methods are suitable. A distinction is made between power bleaching, home bleaching and internal bleaching.

Teeth whitening with home remedies such as baking soda or lemon juice is strongly discouraged. These substances can attack the tooth and cause long-term damage if used repeatedly.

Power whitening: best results in a short time

The power whitening is carried out by a dental hygienist in a session in the dental practice. The entire soft tissue is protected with a supple, rubber-like covering material. Then your teeth are coated with whitening gel and irradiated with UV light. This activates the active ingredients in the gel liquid.

The gentle application lasts between 90 to 120 minutes, which you can use to listen to music and relax.

The advantage of power bleaching is that you can achieve a whitening result directly in a short amount of time and professional use is ensured.

Home bleaching: Specially made dental splints for teeth bleaching at home

Alternatively, you can opt for home whitening and bleach your teeth at home. For this purpose, an individual, custom-fit plastic splint is made for you, which covers your teeth exactly. After a detailed explanation of the handling, you can then use your whitening set independently at home and several times.

How often and how long you use your splints depends on the concentration of the whitening gel and your initial situation. With normal age discoloration, you will achieve optimal results in about five to seven “sessions”. For more stubborn discoloration, the splint is simply used more often.

The advantage of home bleaching is that you can control the brightness levels individually until you have achieved your desired result. However, it should be noted here that overbleaching is avoided. The teeth are then almost transparent, an effect that cannot be undone.

Internal whitening: In stubborn cases

Internal bleaching can be useful if the desired effect cannot be achieved on a tooth using regular whitening and the overall appearance of the teeth is negatively affected.

This phenomenon often occurs with avital (dead) teeth, as this leads to internal discoloration. In these cases, you have the option of achieving a homogeneous, consistently beautiful tooth shade through an insert in the tooth.

The missing bright tooth pulp is simply replaced by an equally bright inlay. The tooth is also whitened during a multi-stage process "from the inside" bleached. Once the desired result has been achieved, the crown of the tooth is permanently sealed again.

How long do teeth stay white after whitening??

How long the whitening result lasts after bleaching depends on your lifestyle (especially your diet) and your dental care. If you follow the simple care instructions after whitening and reduce or discontinue the consumption of discolouring substances and foods, your teeth will always be whiter in the future than before the treatment. Regular professional tooth cleaning and home bleaching can be used to refresh the result. If you enjoy a lot of coffee or if you are a smoker, it is often advisable to repeat the teeth whitening at regular intervals. Your dental health is completely preserved at all times.

After the whitening treatment you should consider the following things:

  • Food / luxury foods that discolor strongly should be avoided for approx. 48 hours. Avoid red wine, nicotine, coffee, tea as well as curry, tomatoes, eggplants if possible.
  • In the mentioned period, eat as color-neutral dishes as possible: green salad with white dressing, chicken meat, cream sauces, pears, cheese, light bread, pasta, potatoes, bananas, cold cuts, gratin, rice etc. The best drinks are drinks Mineral water or milk. Avoid very hot or very cold drinks.

If you follow this advice, you should have a good experience whitening your teeth.

Risks and side effects of bleaching

If tooth bleaching at the dentist is carried out by specially trained personnel using validated procedures, studies have shown that bleaching does not harm the teeth and the risks of bleaching are very low. It should be noted that some patients may experience hypersensitivity to cold and heat as well as latent pain on the tooth necks during treatment. The pain should disappear after 24 hours at the latest and can be treated prophylactically or after bleaching with a pain reliever. Irritation of the gums occurs very rarely.

It is also important that fillings and crowns cannot be bleached. Therefore, these may need to be remade after bleaching.

What does a tooth whitening cost??

The cost of teeth whitening depends on the desired degree of whitening and the bleaching method chosen. At our location in Zurich HB Shopville, for example, express bleaching, which can lighten up to 4 shades of color, costs CHF 200. If a stronger whitening of 6-8 shades is to be achieved, the costs for teeth bleaching from CHF 450 are to be expected, with home bleaching the costs are around CHF 600.

Do you need further advice? make an appointment with us!

Are you looking for brighter teeth and are you interested in having your teeth whitened? Your dentist will be happy to advise you, e.g. at the swiss smile location in Zurich at the main train station. We are looking forward to your contact.

Do you have any questions or would you like advice??
We are happy to be there for you and look after you individually.

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Christina Cherry
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