Teeth whitening: the controversy of smile bars
Dentists have long stood against what is commonly referred to as “The Smile Bars”. These promise you a smile akin to that of stars with cheaper prices; as opposed to the more expensive services proposed by dentists.
Do both services offer similar results for different prices?
Do we really save money for whitening our teeth at a smile bar?
In a colourful room, they may propose that you make yourself comfortable on their sofa while they daub your teeth with an activator. They thereafter proceed to placing a commercial cast filled with whitening gel and expose your teeth to a blue light. The latter is believed to stimulate the penetration of the product into the mineral phase of the enamel.
However, even if smile bars respect the law and the imposed percentage of hydrogen peroxide (which should be inferior to 0.1 %), one session does suffice to obtain the desired shade of whiteness. Therefore, smile bars now propose multiples sessions of teeth whitening.
In addition, there is no problem if the product used by smile bars contains sodium perborate rather than hydrogen peroxide because the latter releases oxygenated water upon contact with saliva.
Getting your teeth whitened at a smile bar may be dangerous since you are receiving services from non-professionals. For instance, the “unmastered” use of the whitening gel, with a high density of hydrogen peroxide, may lead to dental injuries like teeth hypersensitivity to cold or heat.
It is important to bear in mind that certain tooth shades cannot be treated through whitening; such as severe fluorosis or teeth colour alteration due to tetracycline. The latter cases may even aggravate with the application of whitening products (like amelogenesis imperfecta).
The hand of a professional is needed to conduct a diagnosis and distinguish between a superficially dark shade or a shade in need of deeper medical treatment (treatment of dental caries, periodontal treatment, placement of dental veneers, etc.) In addition, the application of whitening gel on a dental plaque does not really change the shade of the tooth because the product will not attain it.
Therefore, prior to teeth whitening, the patient has to undergo a scaling; which is not among the services that a smile bar offers.
If the patient is a good candidate for teeth whitening, a scaling session or a session of root planning will be scheduled prior to the treatment.
Teeth whitening will be performed under medical supervision and with calculated doses. The teeth will be stemmed so that whitening gel does not evacuate and alter paradental tissues. If necessary, a personal cast filled with whitening gel will be prepared to prevent the occurrence of post-treatment complications.
Getting your teeth whitened at the dentist’s office is more reliable and efficient. The difference of pricing is explained by the professional’s “savoir-faire”, trustworthiness, and the duration of results.
Indeed, once teeth whitening is completed, a revision will be only needed after three to four years.
The dentist will give you all the necessary tips to keep your teeth white and prolongate the whitening effect.
Do both services offer similar results for different prices?
Do we really save money for whitening our teeth at a smile bar?
Teeth whitening at a smile bar: what to expect
Smile bars claim that teeth whitening is a very simple and harmless procedure to both the gum and teeth. They either suggest a whitening product that does not contain hydrogen peroxide or one that contains it, but with a percentage inferior to 0.1 % (as imposed by the law).In a colourful room, they may propose that you make yourself comfortable on their sofa while they daub your teeth with an activator. They thereafter proceed to placing a commercial cast filled with whitening gel and expose your teeth to a blue light. The latter is believed to stimulate the penetration of the product into the mineral phase of the enamel.
However, even if smile bars respect the law and the imposed percentage of hydrogen peroxide (which should be inferior to 0.1 %), one session does suffice to obtain the desired shade of whiteness. Therefore, smile bars now propose multiples sessions of teeth whitening.
In addition, there is no problem if the product used by smile bars contains sodium perborate rather than hydrogen peroxide because the latter releases oxygenated water upon contact with saliva.
Getting your teeth whitened at a smile bar may be dangerous since you are receiving services from non-professionals. For instance, the “unmastered” use of the whitening gel, with a high density of hydrogen peroxide, may lead to dental injuries like teeth hypersensitivity to cold or heat.
It is important to bear in mind that certain tooth shades cannot be treated through whitening; such as severe fluorosis or teeth colour alteration due to tetracycline. The latter cases may even aggravate with the application of whitening products (like amelogenesis imperfecta).
The hand of a professional is needed to conduct a diagnosis and distinguish between a superficially dark shade or a shade in need of deeper medical treatment (treatment of dental caries, periodontal treatment, placement of dental veneers, etc.) In addition, the application of whitening gel on a dental plaque does not really change the shade of the tooth because the product will not attain it.
Therefore, prior to teeth whitening, the patient has to undergo a scaling; which is not among the services that a smile bar offers.
Teeth whitening at the dentist’s:
All of the aforementioned aspects are controlled by a specialized dentist. The diagnosis is conducted during the preliminary consultation.If the patient is a good candidate for teeth whitening, a scaling session or a session of root planning will be scheduled prior to the treatment.
Teeth whitening will be performed under medical supervision and with calculated doses. The teeth will be stemmed so that whitening gel does not evacuate and alter paradental tissues. If necessary, a personal cast filled with whitening gel will be prepared to prevent the occurrence of post-treatment complications.
Getting your teeth whitened at the dentist’s office is more reliable and efficient. The difference of pricing is explained by the professional’s “savoir-faire”, trustworthiness, and the duration of results.
Indeed, once teeth whitening is completed, a revision will be only needed after three to four years.
The dentist will give you all the necessary tips to keep your teeth white and prolongate the whitening effect.
