Bleaching of Discolored Tooth - Bleaching Agents in Dentistry

Bleaching is a procedure which involves the lightening of the color of the tooth through the application of a chemical agent to oxidize the organic pigmentation of the tooth.

Properties of an ideal bleaching agent

An ideal bleaching agent should:

• be easy to apply on the teeth
• have a neutral pH
• lighten the teeth efficiently
• remain in contact with oral soft tissues for short periods
• be required in minimum quantity to achieve desired results
• not irritate or dehydrate the oral tissues
• not cause damage to the teeth
• be well controlled by the dentist to customize the treatment of patient needs.

Bleaching Techniques: 

a) For Vital Teeth

- Home bleaching technique / Night guard vital bleaching / Matrix bleaching

- In office bleaching

    * Thermocatalytic

    * Non Thermocatalytic

    * Microabrasion

b) For non vital teeth

- Thermocatalytic in-office bleaching

- Walking bleach / Intracoronal bleaching

- Inside / Outside bleaching

- Closed chamber bleaching / extracoronal bleaching

c) Laser assisted bleaching

Bleaching Agents:

A. Carbamide Peroxide : It is a bifunctional derivative of carbonic acid. It is available as:

- For Home bleaching:

 i) 5% carbamide peroxide

ii) 10% carbamide peroxide

iii) 15% carbamide peroxide

iv) 20% carbamide peroxide

- In-office bleaching

i) 35% solution of carbamide peroxide