Managing tooth sensitivity is key for successful whitening. A detailed patient assessment and tailored solutions, like Pola’s desensitising treatments, ensure a comfortable experience and effective, long-lasting results.
The issue of sensitive teeth after whitening is a common problem among patients. Teeth and gums can become sensitive during or after whitening treatment due to the perfectly safe chemical and thermal changes that occur during whitening.
Dentine hypersensitivity is caused by oral health problems such as receding gums, exposed dentine, cavities, or cracked teeth, and it needs to be addressed and treated before any whitening treatment can begin. Having whitening treatment can exacerbate such sensitivity problems, which are often undiagnosed. A detailed pre-treatment patient assessment is essential to find any underlying issues.
Ask the questions
When assessing patients for whitening treatment, there are some important questions they need to be asked:
- Do they have any sensitivity to cold? This can indicate gingival recession. Using a desensitising toothpaste two weeks prior to treatment can help reduce sensitivity.
- Do they have any sensitivity to sweets? This can indicate the presence of a cavity.
- Do they have any sensitivity to heat? This can indicate pulpitis, where the nerve has become inflamed.
- Do they have any pain in biting and are sensitive to cold? This can indicate a cracked or damaged tooth.
Other contraindications for whitening include:
- Pregnant or lactating women
- Children under 18
- Deep surface cracks or fracture lines
- Extensive restorative work
- Severe fluorosis.
Reducing or eliminating sensitivity
Once assessed, it’s necessary to explain the treatment method fully, give patients a realistic idea of the end results and ensure their consent. Offering patients Pola Day or Pola Night home whitening treatments that combine a high water content to reduce dehydration with a fluoride-releasing agent plus built-in desensitisers is also an important first step to reducing any sensitivity issue.
Look to your strengths
A range of strengths enables clinicians to choose a suitable level of active whitening agent that suits day or night application. If sensitivity is an issue, it’s recommended that a slow-release, lower concentration (10% carbamide peroxide) of whitening gel be used. Patients also need to be reassured that there are effective solutions to the sensitivity problem, such as a desensitising gel that can be applied before and after each treatment and works quickly to tackle any discomfort.
A gel such as SDI’s Pola Soothe contains sustained-release potassium nitrate, which works to block pain, plus fluoride, which reduces sensitivity, further remineralises the teeth, and does not interfere with the whitening process. The product’s high viscosity makes it easy to apply, and it remains safely in the tray during treatment.
Most will have no side effects if patients follow their clinician’s and manufacturer’s instructions carefully. If patients experience temporary sensitivity (dull or sharp, sensitivity to hot or cold), it will subside after several hours of stopping treatment and will not leave any residual problems. In addition, the wear times can be shortened or made less frequent, and teeth can be treated with a desensitiser to soothe the problem.
Making the right choice
Having confidence in your whitening system is vital when offering whitening to patients. To avoid any issue of sensitive teeth after whitening, it’s important to choose a whitening system such as Pola that offers an option to suit – and soothe – every patient.
Book your FREE ‘Lunch & Learn’ with SDI’s range of professional Pola tooth whitening systems here, or find out more by visiting our product page.