Tooth Whitening

Tooth whitening is considered the best procedure to reduce the yellowish coloration of teeth.

By means of a whitening solution (carbamide peroxide) and the direct contact with tooth, te solution removes the stains from teeth.

Some of the common reasons why teeth change in color are the use of black tea, red wine, coffee and the worst of them, tobacco. In other isolated cases the use of tetracycline on patients cause some darkening of teeth.

But mostly what moves people to ask the dentist for a whitening, is the lack of confidence in themselves when smiling, associating white teeth with beauty, good health or even youth.

It is important to remember that results may vary according to the patient's habits and age.

-Whitening Techniques-

Whitening Toothpastes


We can say that all the toothpastes on the market are good removing the stains of the teeth. However there are some special toothpastes that remove more stains than others (due to a high concentration of the peroxide), but none of them would have the results that you can get visiting a dentist.

Whitening Strips


The strips are very easy to get in pharmacies and essentially they are strips covered with peroxide in a low concentration, that after 30 minutes in direct contact with teeth, two times a day, for about 14 days, bring good results for the paerson, but remember, it will never be compared with the results obtained at a dentist chair.

Personal Whitening Trays


The laboratory makes some trays identical to the patient's teeth. At home, he fills the trays with peroxide gel (It can be 10, 16 or 30% of intensity) the areas that will be whitened, and for a few hours (preferably at night) the patient wears the tray, allowing the gel to remove practically all the stains on the tooth. The cost is reasonable, but touch ups are needed after a period of 6 to 12 months.

At the Dentist Office


This is considered the best whitening method that can be performed at the dentist office in only one session. The dentist cover the patient's gums with a special gel that protects the gum from irritation. Then it is applied to the teeth carbamida peroxide and is activated by applying heat or a light source. The cost may not be as cheap as the toothpaste or strips but the results and the convenient time of the entire process, motivates more people to ask the dentist for a teeth whitening.

Dental Waxes

Dental waxes are considered to be the most important element in making dental prosthesis. They are available in multiple colors according to the different purposes they're designed for.

Base Plate Wax

This type of wax is mostly used to make a space over the cast before custom trays can be made. The other use is to block out undercuts on casts. It's pink and normally comes in sheets.

Bite Wax

This particular U-formed wax is normally used by dentists to register the occlusal relationship between the upper and lower arches of the patient's mouth, and later to make an articulation of both, upper and lower casts. It is very important to have a good record of this because it's what the dentist and laboratory will use to make a good prosthesis that will be identical to the real arch's articulation.

Sticky Wax

It's a parafin wax and resin, and it's usually orange, although it's also sometimes violet, red and blue. What makes this wax sticky and hard is the resin. Many laboratories take advantage its hardness to put together some broken pieces on a cast or denture so it can be accurately repaired.

White Wax


Because this wax is soft, it's the preferred wax to use when designing teeth. Some technicians even use it to make a preliminary model of the teeth on the cast, which later helps in checking the fine details between it and the porcelain crown(s).

Wire Wax


This type of wax allows the designer to have a wide selection of various wire shapes & gauges on hand. They are available in multiple forms, mainly rectangular, round, uncut bezel and triangular. But these can be divided into sub-categories and come in different diameters.

Dipping Wax


This is used to make coping for inlay and onlay pattern by covering dies with a base coat of wax. The die is dipped once into liquified wax to produce a perfectly adapted, detailed, reproducible and accurate coping of wax that has even-walled thickness with sealed margings. The crush resistant coping comes off the die clean while supporting flexible and sharp margins.

Inlay Wax Chunks


This wax is form-stable and contraction resistant (low shrinkage) from wax-up to burnout. It will not to pull, flare, chip, crack, drag or expand at the margins even when being cast extremely thin sections. It will resist deformation, due to handling and can be easily carved. Will not become sticky or flaky or gum up instruments and will burn-out cleanly with no residue.

Wax Patterns


When we refer to wax patterns we have to differentiate between the wax patterns for crowns and bridges, that include the anterior, posterior, upper & lower blocks, and the patterns use dto make removable metal partials. Both of them come in different forms, sizes, and even colors to make it easy for the technician the modeling either the bridges or the metal frames.

Dentures

We can start by saying that there are 2 types of dentures, full and partial, and they can also be divided in sub-categories: plastic (acrylic), metal and combined (metal-acrylic). The decision of which one fits better your needs would be made by your dentist according to his judgment and criteria.

Full Dentures

A full denture is basically an acrylic base that fits perfectly your gum y form and color. The base of the upper denture covers your palate, while the lower has a U form that allows your tongue to be in place correctly.

There are some questions that you as the patient may ask, like for example how long before I get used to my new denture? How long my denture last? and some other concerning doubts about the use of a denture, so let's start with the first question.

Dentures are made of acrylic that is welcome in your mouth, but sometimes the form of your gums may change a little bit after the remaining teeth were removed. This may take a few weeks or months before they finally adopt the form of the denture. On the other hand we have the situation were your mouth produces excessive saliva, your tongue feels a little tight with the remaining space left from the denture and your voice may sound different at first. All of this are normal simptoms of a new denture, but as with new shoes, you have to wear them for a bit of time so your feet gets used to them. They may strecht a little and suddenly you don't feel that your shoes are new. The same would happen with a new denture and with time your mouth and tongue get used to the new denture. But be carefull to inform your dentist if there is excessive pain caused by the denture.


Partial Dentures

They are made commonly of metals (chrome cobalt mainly) that are approved to be used orally, and after an impression taken from the dentist to make a mold of your mouth and the remaining teeth, technicians make at the laboratories the form of your mouth and the spaces were you need one or more pieces.

With that mold and the metal frame designed to be attached to your mouth by some clasps, now there is an structure that will have premade acrylic teeth that would help to cover the spaces, but mostly to enable a better and comfortable chewing.