The popularity of tooth whitening is rapidly increasing. Patients are asking about the fastest and safest way to whiten teeth.  Practitioners must be knowledgeable to help patients understand the process of bleaching, instead of them accusing us of "little white lies" because their teeth did not lighten as much as "we promised" would happen.

 

This presentation will use evidence based studies and scientifically valid research to explain the effectiveness of In-office and At-home bleaching and when the use of each is appropriate.  It will show how rapidly we can expect products to produce the desired results by using studies that have been performed clinically. 

 

This presentation will show that it is essential to use At-home agents after the use of In-office agents if we expect our patients to have the best possible result with In-office tooth whitening. 

           

Clinical cases will also be shown.  Dr Matis' advice to practitioners -"Never promise results, but help patients understand the possibilities."

 

First session: The concept of bleaching will be introduced.  It is challenging to introduce the subject of tooth whitening to some patients, while others who come in requesting tooth whitening sometimes have unrealistic expectations.  It is important that what tooth bleaching can accomplish be presented in an understandable way that makes sense to the patient.  A discussion of how to introduce tooth whitening in a way that will not offend patients, yet enable them to understand the procedure will occur.  Additionally it is important for the dentist to know that extrinsic stain can be removed with a dental prophylaxis, and that intrinsic stains can be removed with bleaching. There will also be a demonstration portion were a whitening tray will be fabricated and discussion on correct fitting.

 

Second session will consist of discussing In-office bleaching. The advantages and disadvantages of the system will be discussed.  Various systems that are available on the market will be discussed with their concentrations, recommended time of use, and effectiveness.  The use of lights and the controversy surrounding their use will be addressed.  Some have expressed concern that the enamel micromorphology is altered with the use of 15% to 38% hydrogen peroxide.  Others are concerned that tooth coloured dental materials are damaged.  These issues will be addressed using in vivo studies.  Finally clinical studies, which have compared In-office and At-home bleaching systems will be examined.

 

Third session will consist of evaluating the concentrations that have been accepted by major dental organisations as safe and effective.  Clinical studies will be evaluated that used different concentrations, times of use, modes of application and the need for reservoirs.  The histological effect on dental pulp will be shown using clinical studies.  A discussion on alerting patients on how to reduce both tooth and/or gingival sensitivities, should they occur, will be conducted as well.   The reason to delay bonding will be explained using clinical studies.  The theory that microhardness loss occurs using carbamide peroxide of up to 15% will be dispelled.  Finally clinical degradation of both carbamide and hydrogen peroxide agents will be examined using clinical studies. 

 

The use of over-the-counter (OTC) products has become popular in the United States and they will probably enter the market worldwide.  Dentists internationally must become familiar with their use, what the available concentrations are and what effect patients can expect from their use.  The effectiveness of all tooth bleaching systems, as measured in multiple studies conducted at the Clinical Research Section, but using the same criteria, to evaluate the long term effectiveness of the systems will be discussed.

 

Final session: clinical cases of various conditions will be discussed, including the bleaching of tetracycline stained teeth over a five year period of time.  It is now known that some classifications of tetracycline stains respond more readily to tooth whitening than others. 

 

Question and answer sessions will occur before and after each session.  You will leave this course with confidence in your ability to know what system will work in various types of situations that patients present to you.

TOPICS

 

Clinical Cases

This course is generously supported by GUNZ DENTAL