8teeth whitening that lasts

8/8/2019 8Teeth Whitening That Lasts

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www.LaJollaDental.com

Teeth Whitening That Lasts

Your smile can be one of your biggest assets.

It is one of the first things people notice when they meet you. A whiter,brighter more youthful smile is beautiful – it can help you feel better aboutyourself and make a memorable impression on others.

Whitening teeth is perhaps the most exciting dental procedure performedin dental offices or at home.

People can see results immediately.

This gives us something to smile about and improves our self esteem.

There are many different ways to whiten teeth. Some are quicker thanothers while some may be longer lasting. All have the potential for sensitivity, butthat can be kept to a minimum.

This report touches on many of the whitening types with a focus onthose provided by a dental office.

Yes, whitening does involve some time, effort and expense.

No, whitening doesn’t erode or wear away the enamel of the teeth. It willnot make them weaker or more prone to decay. And yes, whitening can be longlasting if you follow some simple at home maintenance steps.

Lifestyle and the aging process can stain and darken your teeth. Manythings we do on a regular basis can contribute to stained teeth, such as drinkingcoffee, tea, soda and red wine, or smoking.

Teeth whitening focuses mainly on the lightness or darkness of the teeth.Original inherent tooth color is dependent on the natural pigments within theteeth. After they erupt into the mouth (ages 6-12 for adult teeth), extrinsic stainabsorbs into the microstructure of the teeth, becoming intrinsic stain. This addsto the coloration or darkness of the teeth.

This May Seem a Bit Technical

As patients age, the intrinsic stain molecules inside the teeth join togetherto create larger and larger molecules that will appear darker and darker.

Over time, more and more intrinsic stain accumulates within the toothstructure due to the extrinsic stains absorbed into the teeth from food and




beverages. The darkening of the teeth that we see with age is due to thecombination of the original pigment molecules and further accumulation ofintrinsic stain molecules all joining into larger and larger molecules.

This ongoing process of stain absorption into the micro-structure of teeth

and the joining together of these molecules creates a tightly packed network ofstain and pigment molecules that whitening gels have a very difficult timepenetrating thoroughly.

The net result observed by dentists is a far greaterchallenge to whiten teeth as patients age.

Chemistry 101

All peroxide whitening formulas result in an active ingredient of hydrogenperoxide.

This breaks down into water and hydrogen ions and “bleaching factors”.

The bleaching factors create a one-two punch to knock out the stains andwhiten the teeth. The first “punch” is the release of the worker bee scrubbingbubbles that enter the tooth micro-structure and physically clean off some of thestain molecules, causing a lightening of the teeth. They also clear the way for“other bleaching factors” to penetrate deeper into the micr o-structure to allow

removal of more and more stain and debris.

The LONGER the scrubbing bubbles are allowed to be active, to work, thelighter the teeth become and the deeper the penetration on the “other bleachingfactors” to whiten and brighten. Duration of time is CRITICAL!

The second part of the one-two punch involves the “other bleachingfactors” breaking down the larger and darker appearing stain molecules.

This involves chemical reactions that you need a chemist to fully explain!The result of this second punch is the break down of the tightly packed network

of stain and pigment molecules into tiny molecules that appear white or colorless.

Less Technical

To predictably whiten teeth of any age, but especially in the more matureteeth, all the bleaching factors need to be allowed to penetrate deeply within themicro- structure of the teeth.




For young teeth, age 14 is a good example, just about any peroxideformulation of bleaching material will work nicely. The teeth have NOT beenexposed to a great deal of extrinsic stain, so the inside of the teeth, the micro-structure, don’t have much accumulation of stain.

A procedure like the “whitening strips” found at the super market will workwell. On going removal of extrinsic stain with whitening toothpastes will keepthese teeth white and bright.

At the other end of the spectrum, the 50, 60, 70 year olds and beyond willnot achieve the same whiteness and brightness as the 14 year old with the sametreatment as described above.

The more mature teeth have micro-structures compacted with debrisand as such are not as permeable to the bleaching factors.

Thus, regardless of the strength or brand of the bleaching gel, if thebleaching factors, the one-two punch, are unable to penetrate into the toothmicro-structure, minimal if any whitening will occur.

If You Want White Teeth Permanently

Substantial continuous time is required for the worker bee scrubbingbubbles to remove the micro-debris and clear the pathways into the micro-structure of the teeth.

Then the “other bleaching factors” can attack and breakdown the larger and darker appearing stain molecules into tiny white or colorless molecules.

Permeability of tooth microstructure to all the bleaching factors is the keyto the success of any whitening procedure – at home or in the office.

If the bleaching factors have free access and adequate time to penetrateand saturate deeply into the tooth micro-structure, causing removal of stain anddebris, and breakdown of the larger and darker appearing stain molecules, thewhitening procedure will be extremely successful every time.

Whitening History

Traditional take home bleaching trays from dental offices allowedwhitening to become popular some years back. We started by wearing them atnight, while sleeping.




Over the years, study after study show that peroxide gel in the traditionaltray loses its effectiveness after only 30-40 minutes. This is due to the loss ofbleaching gel from the tray into the mouth and the dilution of the gel from salivagetting into the tray. The 30-40 minutes is NOT enough time to accomplishthorough removal of accumulated debris from the mature tooth micro-structure.

Now, we realize that changing the solution in the traditional trays every 30-60 minutes will allow more time for all the bleaching factors to perform theirmagic. Waking up every hour to do this is not practical. But, to spend severalhours a day, with a fresh solution of bleaching gel every 30-60 minutes will allowthe worker bee scrubbing bubbles to remove the micro-debris and clear thepathways into the micro-structure of the teeth.

The “other bleaching factors” then can attack and breakdown the larger and darker appearing stain molecules into tiny white or colorless molecules. Theteeth will begin to appear lighter and whiter with each subsequent session of

fresh bleaching gel.

The younger the teeth, the more permeable the tooth micro-structures areto the peroxide bleaching gels, and the quicker the teeth will lighten. For mostteenagers, two or three 30-60 minute traditional bleach tray sessions should beenough to nicely whiten and brighten the teeth.

Thirty-something year olds will need seven to fourteen of the same traysessions. The older the teeth, the less permeable the micro-structure, and thegreater the number of tray sessions required to achieve like results.

Kay’s Story

I met Kay in 1998 when she became a patient.

She and her husband lived in town in a cute little house with meticulouslandscaping – Kay’s passion. The flower beds were always well kept andseemed to bloom through out the year with various plants and colors. Kay andher husband would weekend at their “cabin” in the desert. I saw pictures of it,and it was anything but a cabin. But she loved the tranquility of the place.

At the point we met, Kay already had off-the-charts white teeth. Nineyears earlier, she reported she did 14 all-night whitening tray sessions. She wasabout 50 years old at that time and the teeth did whiten to some extent.

She, however, was not satisfied. So, from that point on, she put herbleach trays in once a week while she cleaned her house (yes, she cleaned herown house).




The results were phenomenal. When we did crowns on a few teeth backin ’98-99, we had a hard time matching the extremely white shade she hadattained with her at home traditional bleach tray whitening-while-cleaning-the-house sessions.

But she didn’t stop there.

She kept up the routine every week until the end. Kay passed away a fewyears ago from complications of her diabetes. Lost in my archives of 35mmphotos and negatives are pictures of Kay’s extremely white teeth. Trust me, shereally did exist, and really did accomplish what I’ve stated.

The lesson here: if you are dedicated, and willing to spend the timeconsistently on a weekly basis, you can get your teeth as white as you like them.The problem is, most of you won’t be dedicated to spend the time it takes tosucceed with the traditional trays alone.

In Office Whitening

The very popular and highly marketed in office one hour tooth whiteningprocedure has produced very good and not so good results, depending on theage of the patient.

For young teeth (teens, twenties and even most thirty-something yearolds) the typical 45-60 minutes of exposure to highly concentrated whitening gelwill likely be enough to produce the desired whitening effect since the build up of

micro-debris is not yet great and the intrinsic stain molecules have yet to growvery large and dark.

For mature teeth, ages 50 and older, the results are not as predictable oras favorable. Using the same in office whitening procedures, with or without theuse of a light or a laser, regardless of the concentration of the peroxide gel, theworker bee scrubbing bubbles don’t have adequate length of time to clear thepathways of micro-debris to allow enough access into the micro-structure of theteeth to permit breakdown of the larger and darker stain molecules. The neteffect is little to no lightening of the teeth and disappointment for all.

If the results are not what you would like, in light of Kay’s success withtraditional bleach trays, should you be willing to spend 30-60 minutes once ortwice a week every week, you will eventually achieve the results you desire.Thus, the in office whitening would be the first step followed by at hometraditional tray whitening sessions until your desired shade is achieved. Again,dedication and compliance are the two hurdles to get over for this to besuccessful.




Power Bleaching Guaranteed Results

Enter yet another option, Power Bleaching.

It entails different trays, take home whitening and in office whitening. Asyou can see from the pictures of the mustached up lipped patient (me), we havea very nice result after 14 nights of whitening and approximately 90 minutes of inoffice concentrated bleaching.

Before Power Bleaching After Power Bleaching

Let me explain.

The trays are not traditional bleach trays. They are very precisely fit toyour teeth so the bleach solution won’t leak out and the saliva will not leak intothe tray and dilute the bleach gel.

The bleaching solution itself has been developed with the ideal:

Viscosity for use in these trays Ability to receive bleaching product at 100% of its original effectiveness Level of saliva solubility in these trays Rate of bleaching factor release in these trays Buffering system to maintain natural pH

The protocol is to fabricate these form fitting trays; wear them all your sleepinghours for 14 nights; and then come in for the in office highly concentratedwhitening treatment.

As you can see from the photos, the 14 nights gave me a very good result.The in office bleaching then took the whitening to a whole new level of whitenessand brightness.

In 1993, my wife and I were walking on the beach in Coronado early onemorning. We were staying at the Hotel Del Coronado and each of us hadgrabbed a cup of coffee to take on our walk (no local Starbucks at that time).




As we strolled toward North Island Naval Base along the wet sand, Ifinished my cup of coffee and ran up to the trash can to throw it away. As I didthat, I told Nancy that was my last cup of java, I wanted to whiten my teeth.

I did the tray whitening and got OK results – I was younger then. Fastforward to 2010, I still don’t drink coffee, but my teeth were NOT as white andbright as they should be for someone in my profession. The Power Bleachingcame to my attention, I tried it and I feel great about recommending it to patients.

Is Power Bleaching the “magic pill” everyone is looking for to achieveWHITE teeth?

Perhaps!

It certainly is the best choice for the most immediate, most thorough

whitening of mature teeth.

Maintenance For Lasting Whiteness

Is whitening simply a flash in the pan?

Or can it be maintained?

It really depends on you!

The products and protocols are available to maintain your newly achievedwhiteness and even whiten them further. We’ve touched on the steps in thisreport.

It goes back to dedication and desire. Kay showed us teeth not only canbe maintained at a good level of whiteness and brightness over the years, butcould actually increase those characteristics with regular, consistent, ongoingwearing of the trays.

We now recommend that trays be worn at least once every 30 days tomaintain the whiteness – more often to increase the whiteness.

I have often been told by patients that they want to whiten their teeth, butwon’t do it because they have one or two crowns that show. The bleaching willmake the teeth whiter but the crowns will not change. They will still be moreyellow.

If you want a whiter, brighter, more youthful smile, and all the greatemotional feelings you experience when you flash those pearly whites… DO IT!




Have new crowns made at some point, but don’t let them hold you back.Look your best. Feel better about yourself, and enjoy life!

This article is by Dr. Charles Briscoe DDS, of La Jolla Dental.He sees patients from around the world and San Diego in his

practice located in the heart of the La Jolla Village.

FOR A VERY LIMITED TIME, Dr. Briscoe is offering aFREE “Ultimate Dental Consultation” and a FREE GIFT with

your first visit but ONLY if you contact his office TODAY at858-454-3221.

Don’t worry, YOU WILL ENJOY YOUR VISIT!

And your free gift too!

Dr. Charles Briscoewww.LaJollaDental.com

http://www.lajolladental.com/

http://www.lajolladental.com/

8teeth whitening that lasts

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