As we age, our teeth also tend to lose their original charm and turn pale yellow. Wondering how this happens? The outer layer of tooth is known as enamel. Because of aging, eating habits ( chewing tobacco, drinking dark colored liquids like coffee, tea and wine) and improper oral care results in pores on the teeth and thinning of enamel. These pores tend to hold stains and thus result in discoloration of teeth.

Discoloration and staining of teeth not only lowers individuals self esteem but also ruins the beauty of his/her smiles. Getting back this lost charm is possible with the help of tooth whitening. Tooth whitening can be performed in two different ways- vital whitening and non vital whitening.

Before getting into these two methods of tooth whitening, let us understand what root canal treatment is and the benefits you derive from undergoing the same. Root canal treatment is an Endodontic therapy that is performed to treat problems related to bone and tissue underlying teeth.

This treatment is recommended when the bone tissue beneath the teeth is infected by bacteria. This might result in problems like swelling, fever, pus formation and even erosion of bone beneath the tooth thereby allowing bacteria to enter the bloodstream and infect other parts of the body.

Root canal treatment when performed helps in retaining your natural tooth and makes them function as normal and healthy as before. Root canal treatment tries to prevent tooth extraction which in turn may result in other problems like gliding of adjoining teeth and other chewing and biting problems.

Now when it comes to tooth whitening, non vital tooth whitening is performed on teeth that do not have live nerves (ones that have undergone root canal treatment). In this procedure, a whitening agent is placed inside the tooth and left on its own till it reaches the desired shade.

Vital tooth whitening on the other hand is quite common and is performed by applying a gel like whitening solution containing hydrogen peroxide on the surface of the tooth. Tooth whitening typically can be done individually at home or by consulting a dentist.

Although there are several dentists performing this treatment, Melbourne dentists are regarded for their services. Upon visiting a dentist Melbourne, he would isolate the gum areas using a gel or special shield in order to protect the soft tissue. Later he would apply 15% to 35% Hydrogen peroxide on the teeth. A laser or special light is later used to create a whitening effect. The bleaching gel is then washed and this procedure is repeated several times.

On the other hand at-home tooth whitening needs to be done daily for at least few weeks to get desirable results. Moreover, it has been proved in an estimate that whitening affect given by one hour of in-office teeth bleaching treatment is similar to one or two weeks of at-home tray based whitening. So depending upon the severity of the problem, you can opt for a treatment that best suits you.


Mr Paul soon is the author of this article on Melbourne Dentists. Find more information, about Dental implants here