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Newsletter - issue 3 items (1998)
Bleaching your pearly whites
- home bleaching with a take home tray
Recently I attended a conference in Auckland on home bleaching and bonding systems
for white and amalgam fillings. Home bleaching has been in the news lately and
many of you may be wondering how effective it is.
Its effectiveness depends on how well the instructions are followed and the type and intensity of staining; darker stains have less predictable results. Stain type also affects the speed at which the bleaching occurs. In age darkened teeth for instance, a noticeable change may occur in just a few days, whereas yellow brown stains typically seem to take two to four weeks.
The whitening lasts for varying lengths of time, depending on the patient, but usually between one and three years. The shades can be monitored during checkups to determine when retreatement is necessary. Touch up treatment is usually brief. The original tray should be kept and can be reused.
How to bleach your teeth.
The dentist takes an impression and a tray is made, in a similar way to making
a sports mouth guard. A gel is squeezed into the tray which is worn overnight,
or for two to four hours daily in one or two sessions. Individual teeth can
be bleached, by having a modified tray made. The amount of whitening is time
related. It is advised to use a flouride toothpaste when bleaching your teeth
to reduce transitive tooth sensitivity. If you would like to know more please
ask me.
Scuba diving & dental treatment
Scuba diving is a popular sport amongst many patients. People intending to dive
should ensure that their teeth are regularly examined so that cavities, broken
teeth, fillings and exposed dentine can be checked. The rapid changes in pressure
during descent and ascent can cause dental pain, just as they can cause rupturing
of ear drums, by affecting the enclosed spaces, such as sinuses and root canals.
Following completion of root canal treatment there should be a 24 hour stand off period before diving, similarly, if nitrous oxide has been used; in this case the period is recommended to allow all nitrous oxide to be eliminated from the bloodstream. After minor oral surgery, including extractions, there sould be no diving until all swelling is gone and stitches are removed.
It is important for patients to let me know if they intend scuba diving so
any treatment can be planned appropriately.
That terrible sound
I have been asked several times about the air abrasion system. It functions
like a sandblaster and is used in place of the drill to excavate teeth ready
for filling. A real advantage to the patients is that it lacks the terrible
piercing sound of the drill.
We decided to try it out. Overall we were unimpressed. Although it was a lot quieter, both the patient and the surgery were covered in a layer of aluminium oxide dust. To overcome this problem it would have to be used in conjunction with a noisy vacuum cleaner! We also found it to be a lot slower than the drill.
I have however, recently purchased a micro-sandblaster. This is a mini version of the above, and is used for etching the tooth and existing filling to provide a superior bond. It can also be used to remove stains from the tooth structure prior to placement of white restorations.