Having a mouth full of misaligned, yellowed teeth can be an intense, even traumatizing experience. Folks may spend years ashamed of their smiles before they get to experience the metamorphic powers of a smile transformation. New Opalescence™ PF whitening for aligners is made for people who want to not only straighten their teeth at home but whiten their teeth at home at the same time.

Like with many other dental or medical treatments, people have wondered if teeth whitening during pregnancy and breastfeeding is safe.

Never a “me too” brand, Opalescence has, from the beginning, sought out new, different, and better ways to make whitening faster, more effective, more convenient, and more comfortable for the patient. Since its introduction of Opalescence® PF—the first sticky, viscous whitening gel available on the market (1990)—dentists and patients alike have come to expect exciting innovation with each new Opalescence product launch over the past 25 years. However, no one could have predicted the exciting impact the brand would make when in 2013, it released perhaps its most revolutionary product yet, Opalescence Go®.

“Walking bleach,” or endodontic whitening, provides a whitening solution for the many patients with one or more non-vital teeth. Non-vital teeth often appear darker than the rest of a patient’s smile due to internal bleeding caused by trauma, the presence of necrotic debris, or pigmentation as a result of previously used endodontic treatment materials. Thus, unlike most whitening cases where discoloration is caused by external staining to vital teeth (usually due to smoking, eating, and/or drinking habits,) as the pre-fix “endo” suggests, endodontic whitening, or walking bleach, is used when discoloration comes from the inside out.

Compliance can be one of the biggest obstacles when it comes to getting your patients to complete whitening treatments. Some patients simply stopped bleaching because they weren't seeing the results they wanted to see. Whitening is a gradual process, so it is often difficult for patients to notice the changing hue of their teeth, especially when they whiten both arches simultaneously.

Everyone’s smile is powerful. A smile can break down barriers, cut through tension, make a stranger feel welcome, and lift a friend’s day. The problem is that many people are too self-conscious to show their unique smile to the world, and Opalescence whitening is on a mission to change that. Whether someone has coffee- or wine-stained teeth, teeth that are a little crooked, or a smile flanked by dimples large or small, everyone has a reason to celebrate their uniqueness. Something that often helps those who are self-conscious about their smile is tooth whitening. However, concerns and questions abound about this hot topic: Will whitening damage my teeth? Exactly how white can I get my teeth? How long will the whitening last? Is the chemical used in tooth whitening toxic? We’re here to help, and in doing so, help your patients embrace their most confident, powerful smile. Let’s get right to it.

The digital world is putting new pressures on the cosmetic dental industry. The desire for a dazzling smile is no longer just for face-to-face interactions—for many, their virtual grin is far more vital. Photogenic smiles get blasted across the globe on the seemingly endless supply of social media platforms. A picture becomes a post and that post gets viewed by our closest friends, family… and the internet at large. The ensuing digital judgement crosses back through the virtual matrix and skews our real-world perceptions.

- A case study by Dr. Clarissa Jänig The desire for whiter teeth and attaining the associated ideal of beauty are probably as old as mankind itself. However, it is interesting to note that many patients are still hesitant and critical when it comes to tooth whitening. Questions about the possible risks for enamel and general oral health keep coming up. There are also concerns about irreversible sensitivities and related complaints. In these cases comprehensive counseling is particularly important. We inform patients that, contrary to numerous rumors, the enamel is neither removed nor damaged, because when professional whitening products are used, molecules are exchanged during the whitening process. During this process, oxygen radicals decompose the color pigments in the tooth and start the whitening process. In our practice, it is important for us to exclusively use products that do not cause enamel damage, as their mode of action is based on the exchange of molecules. Furthermore, we are careful to choose products based on potassium nitrate, which reduce dehydration of the teeth and thus counteract the formation of sensitivities during treatment. In our experience, sensitivities can thus be virtually ruled out. Should sensitivities nevertheless occur, they usually disappear again within a few days by themselves. To accelerate this, patients should drink plenty of water, particularly in the morning, to compensate for dehydration. In some cases, additional treatment can be carried out with a desensitizer based on potassium nitrate, such as UltraEZ TM, if necessary.

You’ve seen those awful tetracycline tooth stains before. Perhaps you’re the one struggling with them. Perhaps you thought there was no hope to get a white, stainless smile except extremely expensive veneers.