[physicshelpme]

Wasn't too sure where to put this but I'm just wondering what do they actually do when you get your teeth whitened at the dentist? Thank you

[Wilfred Little]

They make them whiter.

[Hancat]

I've never actually had it done myself, but I found this on the internet:
'Professional bleaching is the most usual method of tooth whitening. Your dentist will be able to tell you if you are suitable for the treatment, and will supervise it if you are. First the dentist will put a rubber shield or a gel on your gums to protect them. They will then apply the whitening product to your teeth, using a specially made tray which fits into your mouth like a gum-shield.

The ‘active ingredient' in the product is usually hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. As the active ingredient is broken down, oxygen gets into the enamel on the teeth and the tooth colour is made lighter.'

Hope thats a little helpful!

[Abi24]

Depends on the method. Some dentists use the tray treatment described above, some use a "blue light" technique.

Beware if you have remotely sensitive teeth though. Worse than toothache itself.

[cl_steele]

as afore mentioned two methods either bleach or this blue light thing, i had the former done once ... jesus christ it hurts! I'd also advise against a do it yourself kit if youre thinking about it as you can cause some nast burning on your gums and other bits of your mouth if you miss.

[umarrehman187]

had it done my teeth are pretty white as it is i never seen a difference

[Cupid Stunt]

Use Crest 3D White Strips (Professional Effects), just as good and much MUCH cheaper! Me and my girlfriend keep a whole drawer full of them and use 10-day at a time, leaves your teeth white as ever!

Cheapest off ebay because they're American products.

[Cherriesxo]

I had it done before. Basically you sit in the chair, they start preparation. They fill all your mouth with cotton wool where the gums are to protect them. From memory I don't think they put anything on your tongue, but I could be wrong. Then they apply this paste to your teeth, and then they wait a few minutes then put the light on it. I can't remember how long I was in for but you can take an ipod in or something (i forgot to bring mine on the day so I was pretty bored). I think they paused like 3 times to adjust the cotton wool and apply more whitening things, but this is normal. The first 2 times were OK, but the 3rd time really began to hurt. I wasn't worried at all but then I got those sharp shooting pains. They only lasted about 3 seconds a time, but they were soo painful. It lasted for about a day afterwards. Tbh I wasn't very happy with the result, I can't remember how much it cost but it was expensive. I had the ZOOM bleaching.

[WillowLeaves]

(Original post by Abi24)
Depends on the method. Some dentists use the tray treatment described above, some use a "blue light" technique.

Beware if you have remotely sensitive teeth though. Worse than toothache itself.

I've had the "blue light" done and I wouldn't recommend it. It was really uncomfortable and also quite expensive (although maybe that's just my dentist?). They basically shine this blue light onto your teeth for ages, so you have to wear protective goggles the whole time. The goggles they gave me were orange and after wearing them for an hour, when they showed me the scale of the different shades of yellow/white teeth, they all looked the same to me precisely because I'd been wearing the orange goggles for such a long time. I couldn't really see any difference between the shades but the nurse told me my teeth were a lot whiter, which turned out not to be the case when I got home. It was also really painful and for two days after that, I basically lived on painkillers and cornershop wine because I couldn't actually eat anything or even touch my mouth.