Dental bleaching, also known as teeth whitening, is a common procedure in general dentistry.
According to the FDA, whitening restores natural tooth color and bleaching whitens beyond the natural color.
There are many methods available, such as brushing, bleaching strips, bleaching pen, bleaching gel, and laser bleaching.
Teeth whitening has become the most requested procedure in cosmetic dentistry today.
In-office bleaching procedures generally use a light-cured protective layer that is carefully painted on the gums and papilla (the tips of the gums between the teeth) to reduce the risk of chemical burns to the soft tissues.
The bleaching agent is either carbamide peroxide, which breaks down in the mouth to form hydrogen peroxide, or hydrogen peroxide itself.
The bleaching gel typically contains between 10% and 44% carbamide peroxide, which is roughly equivalent to a 3% to 16% hydrogen peroxide concentration.
