Who can whiten his/her teeth?
Practically everybody can do it. However, one of the most common contraindication is pregnancy and breast feeding. One should also be aware of the fact that our reaction to whitening is strictly individual and only your natural teeth will be brightened, not crowns or dental fillings. If you have a filling on the visible side of your tooth you have to be aware of the necessity of exchanging it within a couple of weeks after your teeth whitening. If you have plague or tartar on your teeth or if your gums suffer from bleeding – you have to undergo special treatment to get rid of those ailments prior to your teeth whitening. In case of carious defects you should be aware of the fact that they have to be secured with a special fletcher or temporary tooth cement.


What are the reasons of teeth darkening?
Teeth colour is influenced by many factors such as changes caused by aging, improper treatment, injuries, your genes as well as many staining substances present in food (coffee, tea, coloured beverages, tobacco) and also your intake of certain drugs during the stage when your teeth develop (tetracycline, fluorine).


What are the types of teeth whitening and when can I obtain the best effect?
In my surgery I propose four ways of teeth whitening. The first one which is also used most often is the overlay method, which requires a certain level of self-discipline because you apply the whitening patent medicine yourself, at home in the evening. The treatment lasts for 9 – 14 days, depending on the received effect. This way of whitening results in long lasting effect and you can also reuse the overlays later, when your teeth darken a little bit. The other method is so called single brightening session. Due to its high concentration, the patent medicine can only be applied under the strict doctor’s control. Within half an hour your teeth become much brighter than before the procedure. We can also obtain a stronger effect if a special lamp is used because the whitening gel power is increased by its light tremendously. The triple application of the whitening agent (during 45 to 60 minutes) is an optimal solution in this method. The strongest and also the most long lasting effect is obtained when using combined teeth whitening with both overlays and lamp. The effect of lamp teeth whitening is not always extremely durable so to increase its effect one should use overlays with the whitening agent of low concentration. This way gives us the best and the most durable effect of teeth whitening.


What are the post-whitening recommendations?
Teeth whitening causes their dehydration. Their rehydration will take place within a couple or even several days after the procedure. Along with water, your teeth can absorb all sorts of staining substances from food. That’s why it is highly recommended to avoid any kind of food for a couple of hours after the whitening procedure and using so called “white diet” for a couple of days, particularly avoiding coffee, tea, red wine and other staining beverages as well as mouthwash liquids based on chlorhexidine. However, it is recommended to use Tooth Mousse toothpaste both before and after the whitening procedure. This toothpaste can increase the whitening effect as well as reduce teeth oversensitivity and improve their calcium balance. The most important thing is to drink a lot of mineral water after the whitening procedure, NOT staining beverages like Cola.


Is teeth whitening safe?
Yes, proper whitening procedure performed under your doctor’s control is safe both for your teeth and gums.


What are the side effects of teeth whitening?
Patients may sometimes feel a certain discomfort during the procedure (occasional cases) and teeth may be oversensitive for 1 to 3 days. These discomforts usually go away without any medical intervention. In case of more severe discomfort you can use special patent medicines, neutralizing the post-procedure oversensitivity, such as UltraEZ or Tooth Mousse.


How long will the whitening effect last?
Your teeth will always be whiter then before. The whitening effect depends mostly on the brightening method. The least durable is a single brightening surgery session (without lamp) while the most long lasting effect is obtained during the combined overlay and lamp whitening. When you feel that your teeth get darkened – once or twice a year you can perform a whitening session yourself at home, using your overlays and a special patent medicine which you can buy in the on-line pharmacy www.24apteka.pl, in the dentistry section.