Bleaching

While superficial discolorations of the teeth, e.g. through coffee, tea or tobacco deposits, can usually be successfully removed through professional dental cleaning, this is not an option for deeper discolorations. In such cases, tooth bleaching techniques using special bleaches can restore the original whiteness of the teeth or, respectively, whiten the teeth. The precondition is that the teeth are healthy without carious areas or inadequate fillings.

We use various bleaching techniques in our Dental Clinic:

Internal bleaching
In internal bleaching ("walking bleaching"), internal discolorations of the teeth after root canal treatments are corrected by applying a bleach in the region of the root canal entry and provisionally closing the tooth until the desired effect is achieved.

External Bleaching
External bleaching is conducted in two ways: so-called "home bleaching", in which a special bleaching tray is made for the patient, who then wears it at home according to exact instructions; or so-called "office bleaching", which is carried out in the dental surgery.

In "home bleaching", a tailor-made tray is created on the basis of an impression of the patient's jaw. The patient receives exact instructions about when and how long to wear the tray - after filling it with bleach - at home. The treatment with the bleaching tray takes at least several days, usually several weeks. The exact time depends on the desired degree of whitening, and on the concentration of the bleach.

In "office bleaching", after drying the teeth that are to be whitened, a bleaching gel is applied which - depending on the exact method - is activated by a special light or a laser. Treatment times range between 45 and 90 minutes. Compared to "home bleaching", the whitening effect achieved in a single session is much greater. Depending on the desired degree of whitening, "office bleaching" can also be repeated if required after an appropriate period of time. In addition to the time saved, a further advantage of "office bleaching" is the possibility of compensating better for very fine differences of colour between individual teeth and, if required, of adjusting the colour of the natural teeth to match veneers or crowns that were planned with a higher degree of whiteness.

In addition to the procedures described above, in the meantime there are also countless "do-it-yourself" tooth whiteners available at chemists' and drugstores. However, their efficiency is inferior to that of the bleaching techniques used by dentists, and their damage potential without the supervision of a dentist should also not be underestimated.