Dentists usually purchase the professional teeth whiteners they use as a part of a bleaching kit or system. The precise composition of each manufacturer's whitener will vary but usually these products contain hydrogen peroxide at a concentration between 15 and 50%. In comparison, at-home teeth whiteners usually contain the equivalent of 3 to 10% hydrogen peroxide. This difference in peroxide concentration is why professional teeth whitening treatments can achieve whitening results much more rapidly.
Manufacturers usually try to formulate their bleaching gels so they have a neutral pH (are non-acidic). This is because teeth are mineralized tissues and placing an acidic whitener on a tooth's surface for an extended period of time could damage it.
It is commonplace that professional teeth whiteners will come prepackaged as two individual components. These components are then mixed by the dentist at the time of use. Usually one of the components is termed the "activator." The idea is that the activator acts as a catalyst that speeds up the breakdown of the hydrogen peroxide into its reactive components. This in turn can speed up the whitening process and enhance its results.
There may be some credibility to this claim. Chemical activation of the whitener could explain why different professional teeth whitening products which have differing concentrations of hydrogen peroxide give similar whitening results.
The fact that a dentist has purchased an in-office teeth whitener as part of a system or kit implies that the manufacturer has created a specific protocol for the use of the whitener. As we have mentioned previously, with some professional teeth whitening systems this protocol includes the use of an "activation" light or laser. Some of the brand names of systems that make use of an "activating" light.
http://www.mylocaldentists.com
Favoured: 0
