How To Use Teeth Whitening Led Light - Cosmetic Surgery Tips (2024)

How To Use Teeth Whitening Led Light,Teeth whitening is one of the most popular cosmetic dentistry procedures. In fact, it’s one of the most sought-after procedures in general—and for good reason!

The process of teeth whitening can be done in a number of ways and can take anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours. It’s also important to note that there are different levels of teeth whitening, including professional treatment at a dentist’s office or at home treatments. In this article, we’ll go over what you need to know about teeth whitening led light, including how long it takes, what results you can expect, and if it’s right for you.

How To Use Teeth Whitening Led Light

These are general recommendations and may vary between manufacturers. Please read the manufacturers instructions and use this as a friendly guide in addition to the manufacturers instructions.

DENTAL WORK:

Tooth Whitening (bleaching) gel will only whiten natural teeth. It will NOT bleach (whiten) nor harm bonding, caps, crowns, bridges, fillings, or any other artificial dental work. You may have to have the dentistry redone to match your new white teeth. Tetracycline (an antibiotic) stained teeth or grayish teeth are more difficult to bleach and have a varied prognosis. The exposed root portion of teeth, which occurs with gum recession will also not bleach. If you have amalgam (silver) fillings in, near or behind the front teeth, long term bleaching can cause the surrounding tooth to have a greenish tinge. Bleaching teeth that are see-through can cause the teeth to become even more translucent and may give the tooth a darker appearance. It is essential to consult a dentist if you have any of the above concerns.

SENSITIVITY:

Your teeth or gums will most likely become sensitive. It’s common while using all products containing peroxide-based gels, and it is not harmful. In case of increased sensitivity, reduce usage time or frequency until the sensitivity subsides. Due to the high prevalence of sensitivity, dentist.net recommends the routine use ofDr. Collins BioMin Restore Toothpastebefore and after using bleaching products.

WARNINGS:

Keep bleaching gel out of reach of children. Do NOT use if pregnant or during nursing. Do NOT smoke, drink or eat while bleaching your teeth.

PRODUCT SHELF-LIFE:

DENTAL WHITENING GEL SHOULD BE REFRIGERATED FOR LONG TERM STORAGE. Shelf life is typically one year un-refrigerated and two years refrigerated (Nite White and Day White have a 2 year un-refrigerated shelf life.)

Please read the manufacturers instructionsand use this as a friendly guide in addition to the manufacturers instructions.

PRE-BLEACHING INSTRUCTIONS TO MINIMIZE SENSITIVITY

1. Two weeks before bleaching, brush your teeth regularly with a desensitizing toothpaste likeDr. Collins BioMin Restore Toothpaste.
2. After brushing for a few days, wear your EMPTY bleaching trays alone for a few hours or even overnight.
3. After wearing the empty trays, fill them withRelief ACP Desensitizing Gelfor 1 hour before bleaching. Alternatively, dentists also recommend placing desensitizing toothpaste like BioMin Restore in the tray.
4. After getting used to having the trays in your mouth, remove any desensitizing toothpaste or gel before putting the bleaching material in the tray. DO NOT MIX bleaching material and desensitizing material. Please refer to the bleaching instructions:

USAGE INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROFESSIONAL-GRADE DENTAL WHITENING GEL

It’s important that you apply the teeth whitening gel properly in order not to waste any of the gel and so that you experience the least amount of sensitivity while using the gel.

1. IMMEDIATELY BEFORE TREATMENT:

Brush and floss right before bleaching your teeth.Whitening products are most effective with clean teeth. Try the trays in first without any beach to check the fit and comfort. Make sure that the bleaching trays are clean and dry before applying the whitening gel. Moisture reduces the efficiency of the whitening gel and slows down the whitening process.

2. APPLYING THE BLEACHING GEL:

When you apply the gel, make sure not to fill the trays.Place a SMALL drop of tooth whitening gel halfway inside on the front surface of the tray. DO NOT spread the bleach around. It should just be in front of each tooth in the tray. Recap the syringe for the next treatment until empty.

The average treatment per arch requires approximately 0.5ml of whitening gel. We recommend that you only bleach the front 6-8 teeth since no one sees the back teeth.

3. INSERTING THE BLEACHING TRAYS:

Insert the whitening tray in your mouth over your teeth.Seat the tray firmly against your teeth. Wipe any excess gel that seeps onto your gums with your finger or with a tissue. Wear the tray with the gel as directed below.

4. WEARING TIME:

We recommend that if you haven’t used whitening products before, use for 30 minutes to 1 hour the first time.You may increase the wearing time if there is little or no tooth sensitivity.

General manufacturers recommended wearing times are:

For Carbamide Peroxide Bleaching Gels:

• 10%, 15% or 16% strength can be used 2 to 4 hours once or twice/day. You can keep it in overnight while sleeping if you don’t experience major sensitivity after initial applications.
• 20-22% bleaching gel: use for 30 minutes to 1 hour once or twice per day. DO NOT exceed 1 hr/application.

For Hydrogen Peroxide Bleaching Gels:

• Day White and Dentist.net Hydrogen Peroxide Bleaching gel can ONLY be used for 30 mins to 1 hour.

5. AFTER WHITENING:

Remove the tray and rinse off your teeth. Brush any remaining gel away. Brush, floss, and continue routine dental cleaning. Apply desensitizing gel and use BioMin Restore if your teeth become too sensitive. Repeat steps 1 through 4 again using the desensitizing gel.

6. CARING FOR YOUR TRAYS AND GEL:

Clean the whitening trays with a toothbrush or Q-tip and cold water.Store trays in the tray holder and gel in a cool and dry place away from heat and direct sunlight. The gel may be refrigerated to prolong the shelf life, but do not freeze.

DENTAL WHITENING GEL SHOULD BE REFRIGERATED FOR LONG TERM STORAGE. Shelf life is typically one year un-refrigerated and two years refrigerated (Nite White and Day White have a 2 year un-refrigerated shelf life.)

Please read the manufacturers instructionsand use this as a friendly guide in addition to the manufacturers instructions.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• On average, desired level of whitening results are achieved after 20-30 cumulative sessions of wear-time.
• Continue brushing your teeth withDr. Collins BioMin Restore Toothpastein between bleaching.
• Longer wear times create faster whitening results but can also result in more sensitivity without the proper precautions being followed.
• Faster results can be achieved with higher concentrations of Carbamide Peroxide or Hydrogen Peroxide but can also result in more sensitivity without the proper precautions being followed.
• 50% of the bleaching takes place in the first 1-2 hours.
• We highly recommend you bleach the top teeth first (one tray at a time) and use a low strength percentage of bleaching gel. Use 10% carbamide peroxide (CP) to start.
• Repeat the cycle daily. If you don’t experience any significant issues with sensitivity, you may replace 10% CP with a higher concentration to possibly shorten the bleaching time.
• If you have sensitivity after bleaching, do some of the following:

• Skip a night/day or two of bleaching, and start again.
• Start with 30 minutes and increase the wearing time if you experience no sensitivity.
• Most effective is to placeRelief ACP Desensitizing GelorDr. Collins BioMin Restore Toothpasteinside the tray after bleaching. Do NOT mix desensitizing material with bleaching gel.
• Use alternate applications of the tray. Use desensitizing material before and after using bleaching products.

Professional at-home teeth whitening kits are those obtained from your dentist which contain a high concentration of either hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide.¹They are slightly more expensive than over-the-counter whitening kits ($100 to $400 compared to $20 to $100, respectively) but are less pricey than the average in-office procedure ($650) & up.

Custom-fitted dental trays are included to keep the whitening solution on the surface of the tooth and limit the exposure of the solution to the sensitive gum (gingival) area.²Professional in-home kits are relatively easy to use and offer exceptional results after just one to two weeks of use.

Using Home Whitening Kits

Professional in-home whitening kits aren’t something you can pull off the shelf. Custom-made trays (dental cups fitted to the contour of your teeth) must be manufactured in order to ensure the whitening solution are properly distributed. Without these, a lot of the solution could be wasted or put onto areas of the mouth that may be damaged.

There are several steps to obtaining and using in-home teeth whitening kit:

• Your upper and lower teeth will be digitally scanned; this has largely replaced using dental putty to make an impression of your teeth.
• Custom trays will be made either in-house or in a dental lab. The turnaround time can be a few days up to two weeks depending on where the trays are fabricated.
• In the meantime, the initial shade of your teeth will be recorded in your dental chart for comparison when the whitening is completed.³
• When the trays are ready, an appointment will be set to show you how to properly dispense and apply the solution and other instructions needed to obtain the optimal results.
• Before starting the at-home procedure, you’ll need tobrush,floss, and rinse completely.
• The procedure itself is typically performed an hour per day for two weeks, Certain brands can be worn overnight. You would need to avoid eating, drinking, or smoking while wearing the trays and continue to do the same for 30 minutes after.
• After two weeks of treatment, a follow-up appointment will be made to track your results and see how they compare to your reference shade.
• The additional whitening solution can be used for touch-ups if needed.

Professional In-Office Teeth Whitening

If do-it-yourself whitening is not your cup of tea, you can always opt for professionalin-office whitening. It is a more expensive procedure but one that offers more reliable results. Besides cost, the one downside is that you would need to make multiple visits to the dentist’s office.

With that being said, professional whitening delivers optimum results over a relatively short amount of time. The process is pretty straightforward:

• Before starting, your teeth will be polished to remove any plaque.
• Your mouth will then be isolated with gauze and a barrier placed along the gumline to protect it from the solution.
• Your teeth will be coated with a whitening solution on the front surface only.
• Some whitening products require a curing light or laser to activate the peroxide.⁴The solution will be left on for 30 to 60 minutes, or reapplied occasionally for up to one hour, depending on the brand.
• Once the optimum shade has been reached (or the maximum time has passed), the teeth are rinsed. A fluoride application may be used to helpease any tooth sensitivity.
• Additional visits will be scheduled until the desired shade is reached. The frequency of touch-ups will depend on your eating/drinking habits. For example, frequent consumption of coffee and tea can re-stain teeth quickly.

Teeth whiteninghas grown in popularity over the last decade in the UK, with people wanting to emulate their favourite celebrities or merely want to freshen up their smile and restore the natural whiteness of theirenamel, which naturally turns yellow over time. The best way to have your teeth whitened is to visit a dental professional. We strongly urge you not to use an at-home whitening kit that is not recommended by a dentist or a beauty therapist as several unforeseen complications could arise.

Immediately after having your teeth whitened you will feel overjoyed with the results and maybe even concerned that brushing your teeth could wear the effects of the treatment off. You should be brushing your teeth after having your teeth whitening. Neglecting your oral hygiene routine will only cause the whiteness to fade more quickly as well as potentially causing more serious dental problems such asplaque-forming or gum disease emerging.

We recommend brushing your teeth at least twice a day, in the morning and the evening before bed. Additionally, you should also be cleaning in between your teeth daily, to prevent any morsels of food or bacteria from festering and contributing todecay.

Furthermore, if you are concerned about your whitened teeth fading in colour, then you should consider changing your diet. Diets can have a huge effect on whitened teeth. Drinks such as coffee and wine are more likely to stain your teeth whilst meals such as curry, or sauces like soy sauce can also contribute to teeth discolouration.

Many people wish to improve the appearance of their smile, this can include a range of treatments from straightening crooked teeth to replacing missing teeth to rebuilding broken down teeth through to whitening dark teeth.

It’s also popular for people to want to discover ways to do these without visiting the dentist, or at least keeping visits to the dentist to a minimum. In this blog post we will have a look at teeth whitening strips and answer a few questions you may have about this home teeth whitening option.

What are the options to whiten teeth?

There are a range of options to whiten dark teeth, some of them can be done at home whilst others will require a visit to a dentist. Understanding this can help us make the best decision about whitening strips.

Teeth Whitening without a Dentist

The following items can typically be bought over the counter:

• Teeth whitening toothpastes– these can start the process at home, there is very little activewhitening agentwithin the toothpaste as this is restricted in law, these toothpastes typically use a slightly more abrasive compound, this is then more effective at removing surface stains.
• Teeth whitening pens– these can often be purchased in chemists and other similar shops, most typically they are simply a slightly translucent white paint which covers the front surface of the tooth temporarily. They can often be good to whiten teeth for a single occasion but the results will be very temporary. Other whitening pens do contain an active whitening agent so it’s important to check which type is on offer prior to purchase.
• Teeth whitening strips– Whitening strips will have an active ingredient to actively whiten your teeth, however, it’s important to know that for safety reasons the amount of this active ingredient is quite dramatically reduced compared to what you can have when it isprescribed by a dental professional.

Teeth Whitening With a Dentist

The following options can whiten teeth to a greater degree than is possible without visiting a dentist:

• Home teeth whitening kit– this involves visiting the dentist to have adental impressiontaken, from this impression a highly accurate custom fitting whitening tray will be made. This tray fits precisely over the surface of your teeth, this helps to keep the whitening gel exactly in place and prevent it from touching the sensitive gums. The whitening gel is placed inside the tray and is then worn for a couple of hours each day or possibly overnight. The whitening gel contains hydrogen peroxide bleaching agent to lighten the colour of theteeth.
• In office whitening– this involves thedentist in the office/surgery placing the whiteninggel over the surface of the teeth and then applying a high-powered light to speed up the whitening process. The dentist will ensure that there is an isolating agent put over the gums of the teeth to prevent the gel coming into contact with them.

Should I brush my teeth before whitening trays

It is advisable to wait 20 minutes after eating before brushing the teeth, this is to give the surface of the teeth time to recover from any acid attack which occurs each time anything is eaten or drunk. This is particularly true if this was acidic food & drink.

The same applies with teeth whitening. We recommend that a delay of 20 minutes is taken after eating before teeth brushing and starting the whitening process.

It is important that any food debris or surface plaque is removed from the teeth prior to whitening, this is why we recommend cleaning teeth before starting the daily whitening routine at home.

Do whitening strips work well on yellow teeth?

They can do. Whitening strips typically have a hydrogen peroxide (the active whitening ingredient) percentage ofaround 6.5%whilst teeth whitening prescribed by a dentist can, in some circ*mstances use concentrations up to 40%.

This typically means that teeth whitening at the dentist is quicker and may be able to whitening the teeth more than whitening strips.

One of the reasons that the concentration is lower in whitening strips is because hydrogen peroxide can burn the delicate soft tissue/gum area, for home use this is why the concentration is lower. However, when the dentist is involved they would take measures (such as providing a close fitting custom bleaching tray, or isolating the gum during surgery whitening) to ensure that the hydrogen peroxide stays well away from the gums.

Can I eat after whitening?

It is indeed eat after any form of whitening, one may however find that there is some sensitivity for a few hours after the whitening trays are taken out, avoiding very hot or very cold food and drinks may be advisable. This sensitivity should settle down quite quickly. With whitening strips some people notice that the sensitivity is lower due to the lower concentration of active hydrogen peroxide ingredient.

Do you brush your teeth after using whitening strips?

We recommend that with any form of whitening that teeth are brushed beforehand. This is to ensure that any plaque (this sticky surface layer on your teeth) is removed and that any whitening agent present in the strips or gel gets the closest contact with the teeth.

We don’t advise brushing immediately after whitening as the teeth maybe a little more sensitive for a couple of hours. The sensitivity will usually be lower with whitening strips then it is with any other form of whitening, however the whitening process will take longer due to the lower percentage of hydrogen peroxide active ingredient.

Are there any negative side effects from teeth whitening?

The most common side effect from teeth whitening issensitivity.Some people find that using a sensitive teeth toothpaste can help to alleviate this. It may be advisable to begin using a sensitive teeth toothpaste a couple of weeks prior to beginning whitening to give the teeth time to build up resistance andprevent tooth sensitivity.

Another quite serious side effect from teeth whitening can beburning to the gums.Teeth whitening at the dentist is controlled carefully to ensure that the whitening agent does not touch the gum, this is done with a very closely fitting tray which is custom-made exclusively for you. Without this tray the gel would come into contact with the teeth.

Finally, another side-effect may be that the teeth don’t get whiten but that thetartar which builds up between your teeth gets whitened instead.This happens when the tartar is not removed between the teeth prior to beginning the whitening, therefore the whitening agent cannot actually touch the teeth and can only whiten the tartar.

This is whyvisiting a dentist for whitening is the only legal wayto ensure you get the brightest smile. A dentist will ensure that all of the oral health requirements are met prior to beginning whitening, this includes:

• Gum recession which can exacerbatedentine hypersensitivity
• Gum diseasewhich could lead to bleeding and damage to the gums
• Cracked tooth check, cracked teeth can become ultrasensitive if whitening is undertaken.

They will undertake a full assessment to ensure the gums are not bleeding (which could then get mixed into the bleaching gel) and that there isn’t any tartar in between the teeth which would prevent the teeth whitening fully.