Can you whiten exposed dentine?

[Steve1]

Hi

I have exposed dentine areas on my teeth caused by me brushing my teeth too hard a few years ago. I have now stopped brushing in that way and use an electric toothbrush instead.

My dentist recently gave me a course of home teeth whitening but the exposed dentine areas stayed the same yellow colour after home whitening as they were before.

Is it possible to whiten the exposed dentine parts with Zoom teeth whitening. I am hoping that Zoom being stronger than Home whitening could whiten these yellow dentine areas on my teeth.

Thank you

[Dr Ehsan J. Esfahani]

Hello Steve,

Thank you for your post.

Zoom teeth whitening is unlikely to whiten the yellow necks of the teeth where there is exposed dentine. This is partly because the necks of the teeth are protected from the bleaching gel by the liquidam gum barrier. Also the zoom whitening system is less effective than home teeth whitening at whitening the necks of the teeth, as these areas require prolonged whitening and this is not possible with laser whitening which is a one off treatment.

My advise for whitening yellow necks of teeth are to continue with the home whitening. The trays need to be well fitting and covering the complete surface of the teeth and also the bleaching gel needs to cover the complete surface of the teeth so you need to ensure you are loading enough gel in your trays. There are varying concentrations of bleaching gels which can also be looked at. If these don't work then you may need restorative treatments.

I suggest you book a free whitening consultation so we can assess your teeth and advise you on the treatment options. Whitening consultations are available 7 days a week at Pearl.