Teeth whitening gels for intracoronal bleaching commonly use
carbamide peroxide. The active ingredient in carbamide peroxide
is hydrogen peroxide. The highest concentration is about 35% and
is used for a brief period of time in the dentist's chair. The
over-the-counter products for "walking bleach" are more likely
to be around 10-22% carbamide peroxide.
Hydrogen peroxide is a skin and eye irritant, however in gel
form and if used properly there does not seem to be anything
about the product that would be especially problematic after
conventional or
wavefront
custom
Lasik,
All-Laser Lasik,
PRK,
LASEK,
or
Epi-Lasik.
The bleaching process works with a balance of time and concentration
of active ingredient. The longer the product is on your
teeth and the higher the concentration, the more whitening that
will occur.
The overnight trays with the lower percentage carbamide
peroxide are popular because of convenience, but for the first
application you may want to try the product while you are awake
and aware. If there is an irritation, you can remove the product
as instructed in the product’s manual.
There is a six-to-eight percent chance of cervical resorption
(bleaching inside the tooth), increasing to 18 to 25 percent
when the technique is used in conjunction with heat. Heating the
product has been almost universally abandoned. Internal
resorption usually presents as gum sensitivity around the affect
tooth and occurs at six months after internal bleaching. After
two years the tooth is usually not restorable.
If you are ready to choose a doctor to be evaluated for conventional
or
wavefront custom
Lasik,
All-Laser Lasik,
PRK,
LASEK,
Epi-Lasik,
NearVision CK,
RLE, or any
refractive surgery procedure, we highly recommend you consider
a doctor who has been evaluated and certified by the USAEyes
nonprofit organization. Locate a USAEyes Evaluated & Certified
Lasik Laser Eye Surgery Doctor.
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