Does professional tooth whitening harm already sensitive teeth?

as I have receding gums and one of my front teeth is really sensitive at the moment. I am getting married in 2 weeks and would like to have them professionally whitened (gel 4 2 weeks) but feel like it may harm my teeth and make them more sensitive and weak...is this true, will it damage my teeth?


Thanks Gemma

Does professional tooth whitening harm already sensitive teeth?
The bleaching process effects patients in different ways, but if you already experience sensitivity in some areas it probably will make them a little more sensitive. I have the same problem and understand completely. I bleached mine about 10 years ago and do a touch up every 4-5 months with the trays using a 22% solution of Nite White for about 30 minutes at a time. One way to bleach with reduced sensitivity is to limit your time, instead of bleaching for an hour, do two 30 minute sessions. One 30 minute session in the morning and then another 30 minutes at bedtime. That way you will reduce the amount of exposure time to the solution per session and have less sensitivity during the day, and then the night time bleaching will allow your teeth all night to recover. We usually recommend reducing the time or skipping a day. This will also let you decide if your teeth can tolerate longer, just increase your time by 10 to 15 minutes each session. You can increase and decrease as you need it. The sensitivity usually last for a few hours to a day at most. You will want all the teeth to be bleached including the area that has some recession on the anterior teeth for ultimate results. To add a desensitizer to the receded area would prevent bleaching or stop the bleaching process. It's better to reduce the time or see how well you tolerate the solution. There are several different materials with solution strengths to choose from. All of these are safe to use and won't harm the enamel or the strength of the tooth structure. The bleaching process isn't suppose to hurt you or your teeth, only whiten them to the brightest possible shade by removing the staining under the many layers of enamel. Your dentist will be better able to provide you with the solution that will cause you the least sensitivity and the best results. Good luck and I'm sure you will enjoy the results for years to come!
Reply:it will DEFINITELTY make them more sensitive. but your dentist will be able to fix that, and some procedures will actually coat the receeding areas so the bleach wont get on them. you'd have a multi colored tooth but it won't be nearly as sensitive. Talk to your dentist or check out the sites below.
Reply:It won't damage your teeth, but you might experience extra sensitivity. I would recommend using sensodyne from now until you get the whitening done and bring some acetaycylic acid with you for any pain you might feel after the treatment. Acetacylic acid is much better than Ibuprofen or acetametophrin. It prevents the prostaglandin hormones from swimming around (those hormones responsible for pain). The latter 2 drugs mainly deal with inflammation. The key to acetacylic acid though is to take it before you have pain. If you think about it, if it stops prostaglandin activity, it can more easily deal with the circulation of a few as opposed to many.





Wishing you white teeth and no pain!!
Reply:Regardless of if you have sensitive teeth to begin with or not bleaching can make your teeth sensitive. I bleach mine with professional gel and it makes them sensitive every time, but it's well worth the outcome. Normally the sensitivity doesn't last that long. Maybe a day or two at the very most. A good bleaching procedure, if done with trays and professional bleach at home, or in the office, won't damage tissues. It's your enamel that you're going to feel that ache in. What I find really helps me, and what we recommend to all of our patients who have that problem with sensitivity (after bleaching or even just for sensitivity in general) is using something with a high fluoride concentrate afterwards. You can get a prescription gel called Prevident that you can put in your bleaching trays and soak your teeth in for a couple of hours, or you could even ask your dentist about different options. Either way it's worth the sensitivity for you're bright white smile for your wedding day!
Reply:DON'T DO IT!! If you have sensitive teeth, NEVER use any type of whitening toothpaste, and do not have any type of bleaching done. I have extremely painful sensitivity!! Trust me- using these things will only make the sensitivity worse! Don't even use sensitive toothpaste with whitening- just use regular sensitive toothpaste. It's not worth it- this is your only set of teeth that have to last you the rest of your life.
Reply:i just heard a dentist say that this is not healthy if done everyday--but twice a week is ok. the hydrogen peroxide removes the enamel; thereby, thinning your teeth making them sensitive.
Reply:Commercial tooth whiteners use hydrogen peroxide and


are expensive and inconvenient. A cheap and natural


tooth whitening home remedy uses few strawberries


but certain precautions have to be taken.


I found the information at



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