Bleaching / Teeth whitening

A distinction is made between bleaching procedures performed for medical reasons (which include dental aesthetics) and cosmetic improvements.

Bleaching for medical indication

Bleaching of teeth that have an unnatural appearance due to enamel defects may be medically indicated. Likewise, bleaching of root canal-treated teeth that have darkened due to devitalization may be indicated. Coloring agents may have been deposited in the enamel and dentin, which bleaching is intended to improve. There may be a medical need for psychological reasons: Tooth discoloration can be stressful.

Bleaching for cosmetic reasons

Many scientific studies prove this: People with bright, beautiful teeth are more successful in their private and professional lives. They are often considered younger, more dynamic, healthier and more likeable. They are thought to have more competence, more assertiveness and more bite. At the same time, this group of people usually develops a higher self-esteem. Scientists (Daniel Hamermesh, University of Texas; University of Hamburg and University of Regensburg) have found out that good-looking people with well-groomed, bright teeth are preferred in professional life. Cosmetic bleaching can lighten the natural tooth colour by several levels of the colour scale.

Tooth discolouration is either caused by age or from the inside due to the effects of medication. There is also dark discolouration due to dental accidents, caries, death of the tooth nerve, malnutrition or similar. Overlay discolouration is usually caused by discolouring foods or drinks, such as coffee, tea or red wine. 

Before a whitening treatment, the teeth are checked by a dentist for tooth or gum damage. Beforehand, we perform a professional tooth cleaning, because on the one hand, the actual tooth color can only be assessed if the teeth are free of plaque, and on the other hand, the bleaching agents can better act on the tooth substances.

Tooth whitening usually involves the use of preparations containing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). They can penetrate into the tooth and split off oxygen radicals. These are able to chemically change colorants in the tooth so that they no longer appear in color. Tooth whitening agents should have a neutral pH value so that they do not roughen the teeth and thus promote renewed discoloration. We use various methods for treatment:

Whitening with individually made dental trays ("home bleaching").

After taking an impression of the teeth and making a model, custom-fit plastic trays are made for the patient. For tooth whitening, these trays are filled with bleaching gel and left in the mouth for 2 hours at home. After 10 days of application, we make a first colour check and look at the result together with you on the basis of the before and after photos we have taken. Depending on the result, individual discolourations can be corrected afterwards.

Whitening by inlays in the tooth ("walking bleach technique")

If a tooth that is no longer alive and has been successfully root canal treated needs to be whitened, this can be done with bleaching from the inside. For this purpose, a small hole is drilled into the tooth and a suitable agent is inserted into the cavity. The tooth is then temporarily sealed and the whitening agent is left in the tooth for several days. After removal of the whitening agent, the opening is definitively closed again with a filling.

The following applies to all the methods listed above: The whitening of the teeth does not last forever, but often for several years. The durability of the result depends largely on the quality and quantity of oral hygiene, the individual consumption habits (especially of coffee, tobacco and tea) as well as on the fact whether superficial discolourations are regularly removed in the course of a professional dental cleaning. 

As soon as the whitened teeth darken in whole or in part, the bleaching can be repeated to achieve a new whitening. The bleaching trays that were made for the first application can usually be reused.