The four participants have now been doing their in-house whitening treatment for 7 days. Let’s examine their progress. With any treatment, there will be some participants that will experience some issues, while others will be experiencing nothing. It’s important to address any issues straight away during any treatment, as you may need to stop in order to prevent any further discomfort or damage to the enamel or the gums.
Each participant was asked the same questions reflecting on the use of the product, if they experience any discomfort, if so what did they do.
SDI Pola Luminate
After 7 days, there is clearly a difference in the shade of the enamel. The participant teeth were a A3 shade and seeing the photos you can see it has lighten. Hydrogen Peroxide can cause sensitivity to your teeth but is the most effective to use. There could be a number of factors that can cause this, but it’s important to stop and apply a desensitising agent that contains fluoride, potassium nitrate and phosphate. Products recommended are Ivoclar Vivadent fluor Protector gel, SDI Pola Soothe or GC tooth mousse. These products can be purchased through your dentist.
The participant began to feel some sensitivity on her lower left molar and this increase by day five the sensitivity had spread to all her teeth and was very uncomfortable. To reduce this sensitivity the participant was give the Ivoclar Vivadent’s Fluor Protector gel, which has helped her a great deal. As a result of this, she was unable to apply the pen twice a day for the recommended time of 30 minutes instead using the treatment every second day. Due to the sensitivity of the teeth the fluor protector gel has been used along with the SDI Pola with positive results.
Participant 1
Oral B Whitestrips
Seven days of using the Oral B treatment, the participant has found it easy to use, and has not experienced any discomfort or sensitivity to the teeth. She has followed the instructions for use and applied the product each night for one hour. Her teeth were an A3.5 and has lightened to am A3 which is half a shade lighter. With these results and continuing use, the tooth colour should be in-between an A2-A3.
Participant 2
Carbon Coco
Using this product for 7 days, there appears to have a small change in the colour of the teeth. Although it claims to be safe for gums, the participant found the product made the gums bleed and had to stop treatment for two days and began using the Ivoclar Vivadent’s Cervitec gel to heal the gums. As the product is abrasive you really need to use an extra soft tooth brush and be careful not to press to hard when brushing. The powder is messy, and it was recommended applying the treatment whist in the shower for easy clean up. The toothpaste has a nice flavour and easy to apply. If you don’t rinse the product correctly it will leave black stains on your teeth and gums. The participant has continued to use the product along with the Ivoclar Vivadent’s cervitec gel straight after treatment and again at night.
Participant 3
Bi Carb Soda
This natural product has shown some results. Although the participant found using the bi carb soda to be somewhat abrasive, it has removed some of the tooth’s surface stains. The treatment was a mixture of 3 teaspoons of Bi Carb Soda and 2 teaspoons of water. Another option if you don’t want to use water is lemon juice.
Participant 4
With 7 days into each treatment, the feedback has been mixed. So far, the Oral B whitestrips seem to be more patient compliant, while the SDI Pola luminate has shown the best results thus far. Carbon Coco and Bi Carb soda although abrasive, they have removed some of the surface stains of the teeth. The preventative products given to each participant with sensitivity and sore gums have assisted in continuing the treatment. The final results will be posted in blog 3.