Best Teeth Whitening Methods for Sensitive Teeth?

We have tried a number of whitening systems in our office and it seems our patients have less pain and zings with our Sapphire Professional Whitening System.  A light is used but it emits no UV rays. It is a safer way to bleach your teeth and not one of our patients have complained about sensitivity. We have used Zoom but there were many complaints about  shooting pains for months after the bleaching. 

Sapphire is a little more expensive, but the results are amazing even with our older patients who have a harder time achieving the a really white color like younger patients do.  I would find a dentist in your area who uses the Sapphire Professional Whitening System.

Sensitivity during and after whitening procedures has been an occasional problem for 25 years. The best approach is to understand the cause of the sensitivity and deal with that issue first. It may be clenching and grinding (mouthguard), exposed nerve endings from recession ( desensitizing toothpastes prior to treatment), or erosion (restored the eroded teeth).

The best whitening treatment for those with sensitive teeth tends to be a treatment with the lowest strength bleach, such as over-the-counter bleaching agents or custom bleach trays. In office whitening utilizes the most powerful bleaching agents and can result in greater sensitivity after the procedure. If our patients report sensitivities to cold, we generally recommend brushing with Sensodyne toothpaste for 2 weeks prior to bleaching to reduce post bleaching sensitivity. 

We have many patients who are apprehensive to have whitening treatment because they fear sensitivity.  The amazingly we find that those are usually the patients who end up experiencing no sensitivity what so ever.  It seems like patients who are normally sensitivity to cold and other things are not necessarily sensitive with whitening. 

The only way to find out if you'll be sensitive is to try the whitening.  It's worth a try and if you start experiencing sensitivity during treatment then treatment should be stopped immediately. It's not necessary to do all of the three 15-minute sessions of zoom to get good results.  We have patients who get good results even with just one or two sessions.  Do a little research first to make sure you're picking the right office for your whitening treatment. The dentist should do a brief exam first to let you know what kind of results you can expect.

Regards,

Peter Mann DDS

The cause of the sensitive teeth is the key. Many people brush too hard or use abrasive whitening toothpaste (which thins and darkens your teeth) Reducing the sensitivity is the first step. Changing home care techniques using an extra soft brush and non-abrasive toothpaste.

I also recommend two to three weeks of MI paste ( this paste helps to desensitize and remineralize your teeth) Once the teeth are less sensitive the tray method would produce the best result using product one hour per day.

With either Zoom or Britesmile and you get trays made in advance of your whitening treatment and use a desensitizing gel for a few days before. Then after Zoom you can wear the trays with more gel in them to help with the sensitivity. If you are in Munci I. There is a good dentist there named Dr Jeff Milne that will take good care of you.

Dr Thomas