Have you had your teeth professionaly whitened?!

Have you had your teeth professionaly whitened?

Did you experience sensitivity? What was the process like? Is there anything I should know before getting my teeth professionally whitened?

I have done bleaching on patients and there is usually some sensitivity. It is associated with the dehydration of the teeth, or recession of the gums. Typically it doesn't exceed 24hrs. But you can do a pretreatement for 1-2 weeks before the procedure that will drastically decrease your sensitivity. If you use Fluoridex tooth paste, or rinse for the 1-2 weeks before your bleaching appt. you will have significantly less sensitivity. But again it doesn't last typically more than a few hours. I do recommend that you plan foods to eat because you will not be able to have things that have dyes in them. Examples are coffee, red wine, red sauces, dark veggies ect. because your teeth are more suseptible to picking up stains for 48 hrs. after you bleach. So you will need to avoid items like those. The bleaching process is very simple. You will need to be as comfortable as possible. The Dental assistant or who ever does the bleaching does a block out process which covers all the tissue in the mouth so that only the teeth are exposed. This is the most time consuming process of the entire appt. You will have a mouth full of gauze, and cotton for at the most 2 1/2 hrs. (not to terrible) Most bleachings have 3 -15min. rounds. Realistically it depends on the bleach being used, but you can always ask before they start. Take a neck pillow and a set of head phones with you! After my bleaching I always apply something to help with sensitivity. Just try to be as comfortable as possible, and enjoy your new smile!