Question:
Current thinking is that lights do not make the teeth any whiter. However it
can shorten treatment time.
Answer:
It's been proven several times that the 'light' is pure hype.
Power office bleaching systems work faster than take home trays,
but not better.
If you want whiter teeth *today* and you don't care how much
money you spend, knock yourself out. Otherwise get take home
trays and save a bundle.
6 months from now nobody will be able to tell which bleaching
system you used.
Oops! I missed the part about being a dentist! Anyway, the
basic statements are true. Lights are for show. If you want
that as part of the 'song & dance', fine.
CRA has had several articles on bleaching which have not shown
any light, bleach, or system to be superior for long term results.
Every bleached tooth is "off the chart" when the material is first removed.
Once the tooth dessicates (about an hour after they've left your office),
that "off the chart" tooth looks just like the tray-bleached tooth. Fawks
said that 6 months later you can't tell the lasered teeth from the
tray-bleached teeth. I almost agree. Except for the fact that the
tray-bleached teeth are whiter 6 months out than the one-appointment laser
bleached ones.
Every dentist that I know who has invested in the in-office systems either:
a) has the patient back for a second or third visit, or b) gives the patient
take-home trays to continue bleaching with.
Who benefits?
Everyone! You save while getting a bright, new smile. The kids get
the money. Dentists take pride in knowing that the time they dedicate
will put smiles on the faces of thousands of children in need.
How do I Know that all of my money is being donated?
Crown Council dental teams donate their services, and Discus Dental
donates all of the whitening supplies. When you pay for your
whitening, you write a check to the Smiles for Life Foundation, not
to the dentist.
Immediately post appt. is not very relevant. What do they look like 6
months later? According to CRA, you can't tell any difference between
systems by that time. Do you send patients home with trays for maintenance?
Also, as far as the light is concerned, have you ever tried two at the
same time...one with the light and one without...to see if there is any
difference?
I'm gonna mention a bad word here so block yer ears... Steve Weinberg of
DEN-MAT came up here a couple of years ago and told us of his own method
of tooth whitening.
1) Photos before
2) Good ol' silicone gum protection, and then HEAT the teeth with 2X2's
soaked in hot water. Then apply the H2O2 to the teeth. Wait, rinse,
repeat as needed.
3) Photos after
4)Send them home with trays anyways...
Using this logic, I could use a heat lamp in front of the patient's face
and it would do the same as your ZooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmMMMM... 'ceptin'
the patient would sweat all over his teeth...
