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Home Teeth Lightening
Patient Instructions (standard
daytime bleaching sequence):
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Brush and Floss teeth.
Rinse mouth well.
-
Place a thin bead (ribbon) of
bleaching gel into the tray from about half way back on one side to the same
spot on the other side.
-
Insert the tray into your
mouth over the teeth. Wipe any excess off of your gums.
-
Wear the loaded tray for 1
hour (or as directed).
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Rinse the tray with tap water
after use, and tip it upside down to allow drying before next use.
Fluoride gel or toothpaste and mouth rinse may be used if desired.
We will monitor the color changes
with you and will advise you when bleaching is completed. The average time
for optimum color change to occur when bleaching 1-2 hours per day is 2-3 weeks,
although color changes may be noticed as early as a few days. Brown,
orange, and yellow stains bleach faster and easier than blue or gray
stains. Follow up exams are usually done after 2 weeks of home lightening
(of course there is no additional fee for this evaluation). Occasionally,
as frequently as once per year, a few additional touch-up bleaching sessions may
be needed so the desirable bleached shade of the teeth can be maintained.
Please call us if you desire a "touch-up" kit.
Patient Instructions
(Accelerated Bleaching Sequence):
If you want to bleach your teeth
faster, you may apply bleaching gel more than 2 hours per day. Any
convenient time during the day is acceptable. Of course, increased
bleaching time may cause more side effects (tooth sensitivity, gum sensitivity,
etc). Ask us about increased
bleaching time if you have reasons to want a faster bleach.
Potential Side Effects
The experience of tens of thousands of patients using home bleaching has shown
the following occasional side effects:
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Tooth Sensitivity
A few people experience tooth sensitivity. This condition is minimized
if bleaching times are reduced and the trays are applied on alternate days.
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Gum Tenderness
Occasionally, gum tissues become irritated and sometimes a mild sloughing of
the superficial layers of the gums occurs. Reduction of bleaching time
or elimination of bleach stops the sloughing.
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Discomfort in Jaw Joints
If bleaching trays are worn too long during any given day, discomfort in jaw
joints may occur. It is reversible when the bleaching trays are
removed.
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Sore Throat
May occur if you swallow the solution. Please try to avoid this.
OVER THE COUNTER LIGHTENING
AGENTS:
We really like the
Rembrandt/Oral-B Whitening Strips. We sell them in our office, but they are also
available in local pharmacies and discount stores (Target, Walmart, etc). The
box top is blue and football shaped and the kit runs $29. The strips are worn
for 45 minutes at a time and work well for teeth that are darkened due to age.
Each kit contains 14 strips.
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