FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 1997
CONTACT:
Chris Martin; [email protected]
Jann Ingmire; [email protected]
312/440/2806
Teeth Whitening in the Dental Office is Quick and Safe
CHICAGO -- The dental office is the best place to start if you're
interested in bleaching your teeth for a whiter smile. While many
people seek professional advice and treatment, others try the
non-professional quick-fix solutions that may not deliver the desired
whitening results, according to a report in a special supplement to the
Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) on treatment of
discolored teeth.
"In-office bleaching is often overlooked," states Ronald Goldstein, DDS,
the author of a report on in-the-dental-office bleaching included in the
supplement. Dr. Goldstein, a private care dentist and professor at the
Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry, says in-office bleaching
has been proved safe, effective and quick.
"The number one aesthetic concern among dental patients is discolored
teeth," according to Dr. Goldstein. "For busy professionals and
executives, in-office bleaching procedures are often a better choice
because everything is done in the dental office. However, some patients
prefer to have both the in-office procedure as well as the dentist
monitored at-home bleaching to maximize the whitening effect."
The procedure of bleaching teeth is over 100 years old. As early as
1877, there are reports of a tooth bleaching procedure using oxalic
acid. Dr. Goldstein reports that the first use of hydrogen peroxide for
bleaching teeth may have been in 1884. But it was not until 1918 that
the combination of hydrogen peroxide and high-intensity light to
accelerate the chemical bleaching process was reported. That is still
the basic combination for bleaching teeth today.
Dr. Goldstein says food and/or tobacco cause many of the stains on
teeth, especially coffee and tea. Aging also contributes to the
discoloring of teeth because of the aged tooth's susceptibility to
staining. Some stains present more of a challenge to dentists. Stains
caused by flurorosis or drug therapy (like tetracycline), trauma to a
tooth, illnesses (like severe jaundice), or heredity have to be
evaluated by the dentist and may or may not respond well to bleaching.
Dr. Goldstein recommends that dentists have a thorough treatment plan
and diagnosis protocol to use with patients who want their teeth
bleached, including:
* Taking a complete medical history of the patient so the dentist can
understand how the teeth became discolored;
* Photographing the patient's teeth before and after treatment; and
* Determining the sensitivity and translucency of the teeth. There are
alternative methods of bleaching available for patients with high
sensitivity levels. Highly translucent teeth do not bleach well,
sometimes appearing grayer rather than whiter.
* Conducting a thorough clinical exam to determine the soundness of the
teeth and whether decay or defective restorations are present.
Once the examination is completed, the treatment plan presented and the
patient's expectations established, the patient's teeth are
professionally cleaned. After the patient's teeth are isolated and soft
tissues covered with protective materials, the bleaching process can
begin.
The actual bleaching process can take 20 to 30 minutes and the patient
normally may need one to three visits before the desired color of the
teeth is achieved.
"Dental patients have a difficult time discerning the potentially
harmful or worthless bleaching treatments from those that will safely
work for them, " Dr. Goldstein observes. "They need well-informed
dental professionals who can guide them to and through the treatment
most beneficial for them."
Dr. Goldstein was one of the participants at the International Symposium
on Nonrestorative Treatment of Discolored Teeth at the University of
North Carolina-Chapel Hill, School of Dentistry in September, 1996.
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