Zoom! Whitening Question

Started by shaq786
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shaq786

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Sorry...I felt I had to post this here in hopes of finding an unbiased answer and hopes of people who are WILLING to tell it like it is

So my issue is, I am considering geting professional whitening with an LED laser. What are the long term and short term consequences of doing so?

Also, I scheduled a X-ray and basic cleaning examination last week. And the receptionist asked me a brief questionaire and one of the questions was have I ever professionally whitened my teeth? Could this question have been important in knowing before I could get my X-Ray and basic cleaning stuff done? Or was it probably just random?
 
Short term consequences: Dramatically whiter teeth
Long term consequences: Dramatically whiter teeth

The questionaire is probably a way for the doctor to let you bring up the issue of whitening if it is something that interests you. Since it is a completely elective procedure this is a way to let patients know you offer the service without being "pushy" or "selling" whitening.
 
shaq786 said:
Sorry...I felt I had to post this here in hopes of finding an unbiased answer and hopes of people who are WILLING to tell it like it is

So my issue is, I am considering geting professional whitening with an LED laser. What are the long term and short term consequences of doing so?

Also, I scheduled a X-ray and basic cleaning examination last week. And the receptionist asked me a brief questionaire and one of the questions was have I ever professionally whitened my teeth? Could this question have been important in knowing before I could get my X-Ray and basic cleaning stuff done? Or was it probably just random?
Click to expand...
Just like any other doctor, if your dentist asks you a question, you're best off answering truthfully. 😉 You can always ask them why XYZ piece of information is important.
 
They probably asked you that question because bleaching is so popular now. It gives the Dr. the opportunity to talk to you about bleaching if you are getting some restorative work done so that the shade of your restoration matches the rest of your teeth. The Zoom isn't a laser nor a LED. It is a metal halide bulb that emits UV light which accelerates whitening solutions. If you've never bleached before Zoom is a great way to achieve an average of 8 shade changes in about an hour. If you get it done, make sure the Dr. gives you take home trays as part of the procedure. It's more of a value to you to be able to maintain a white shade with take home trays after you've had an in office bleaching.
 
The fact is no one knows the long term consequence zoom whitening has on teeth. To my knowledge no real studies have been done. It could be detrimental to the pulp but it may not. I do not believe it is ADA approved. Please correct me if I am wrong but I believe the only bleach that is ADA approved is 10% Opalesence (sp?). Unless you are in some sort of hurry, there is no benefit to zoom whitening. If you just do zoom you will get a rebound of shade color thus the need to combine with trays. So, why not just do the trays? It takes a bit longer but it is less expensive, may be less damaging to your teeth, and you will get a better result.
 
J2AZ said:
The fact is no one knows the long term consequence zoom whitening has on teeth. To my knowledge no real studies have been done. It could be detrimental to the pulp but it may not. I do not believe it is ADA approved. Please correct me if I am wrong but I believe the only bleach that is ADA approved is 10% Opalesence (sp?). Unless you are in some sort of hurry, there is no benefit to zoom whitening. If you just do zoom you will get a rebound of shade color thus the need to combine with trays. So, why not just do the trays? It takes a bit longer but it is less expensive, may be less damaging to your teeth, and you will get a better result.
Click to expand...

You are right, there have not been any "long term studies" on any type of bleaching. As for dentrimental to the pulp it does cause "reversible" pulpitis which only lasts for around 24 hours. Bleaching does not in any way damage enamel or dentin. Zoom is not ada approved and yes 10% opal is an ADA approved solution. No matter what type of bleaching you do you WILL get a rebound effect. Rebounding is simply re-hydration of the teeth combined with any staining pigments consumed. The patient needs to stay away from any type of foods which would stain a white shirt for two to three days. This will happen with any type of bleaching. Zoom is much better for patients who do not have very good compliance. If a patient does take home bleach every day for two weeks starting at an A3 trying to hit B1 or 0 shade, most likely it will be very hard for them to maintain a modified diet for that long. Zoom makes it so that the chances of a rebound effect are dramatically less because diet modification is not as long. If you do zoom, make sure you are using sensodyne for around a week and a half before hand.
 
UOPDDS2009: Do you know where I can find info on the comment you made regarding reversible pulpitis and bleaching? Just curious. I have a lot of people ask me about the effectiveness of bleaching, too...although very few people actually request to have trays made in our clinic. (I think it's more of a money issue, though). Thanks.
 
ca_dreamin' said:
UOPDDS2009: Do you know where I can find info on the comment you made regarding reversible pulpitis and bleaching? Just curious. I have a lot of people ask me about the effectiveness of bleaching, too...although very few people actually request to have trays made in our clinic. (I think it's more of a money issue, though). Thanks.
Click to expand...
Sorry about that, I'll watch my threads from now on. Here is a paper on take home bleaching I found.
http://discusdental.com/products/references/whitening/cdsada2.pdf

Another on Zoom! in office bleaching.
http://discusdental.com/products/references/whitening/ZoomAdvancedPowerWhitePaperMay2006.pdf
 
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