7 facts about cold teeth whitening technology

Author of the article:

Soldatova Lyudmila Nikolaevna

Candidate of Medical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Clinical Dentistry of the St. Petersburg Medical and Social Institute, Chief Physician of the Alfa-Dent Dental Clinic, St. Petersburg

Cold lamp teeth whitening is one of the most modern ways to lighten enamel. The procedure is carried out using a special LED lamp with cold light.

This method is often confused with whitening with a conventional incandescent lamp, which heats the enamel, which is unsafe for the teeth, as it leads to their cracking, and also causes a lot of unpleasant sensations during the process itself. It is no wonder that patients are often distrustful of lamp bleaching.

The impact of an LED lamp is very different from a standard one; Let's figure out how effective and safe it is, and whether we should be guided by old stereotypes.

This is one of the photobleaching methods

Photo whitening allows you to radically transform your smile in just one visit to the dentist. The technology is also called “light”, since during its implementation the doctor acts on the tooth pigment through lamps emitting cold or hot light.

The principle of removing pigment from enamel is similar in all photobleaching methods. It is assumed that a gel with hydrogen peroxide or urea (reagent) and light (catalyst) will be used. Under the influence of a light lamp, the gel releases active oxygen, which penetrates deep into the tissue and removes pigment.

Carried out using halogen lamps

Cold teeth whitening involves the use of a gel activated by halogen lamps, the radiation of which is passed through special filters. As a result, the teeth are exposed to high-intensity, cool blue light.

Halogen lamps have the least negative effect on enamel

It is believed that halogen lamps have the least negative effect on the enamel and do not cause pain during and after the procedure. During operation, they do not heat tissues, as do ultraviolet and LED devices used, for example, for ZOOM technology, which also belongs to the category of photo-bleaching. However, the same “ZOOM” has its own advantages, because the developer has created a gel for these lamps, which contains components that strengthen and reduce the increased sensitivity of the enamel.

Cold light is light that does not have ultraviolet or infrared radiation; its temperature is approximately 37 ° C (almost the same as that of the human body). Due to this temperature regime, the procedure is as comfortable and painless as possible for the patient.

Carrying out the procedure

Teeth whitening with gel and lamp is an office procedure that should only be performed by a specialist with certain experience. Otherwise, in addition to an unsatisfactory result, the patient may suffer injuries to the oral mucosa. The procedure itself lasts about 1 hour, going through several stages.

The preparatory stage is professional cleaning of the oral cavity. Existing plaque and tartar deposits are removed from the teeth. This procedure itself will help make the teeth lighter, and this will allow you to maximally select the tone of the tooth enamel that the patient wants to see in the end. The initial color is determined using a special VITA scale and if the result satisfies the patient, the dentist moves on to the next stage of whitening.
The second stage begins with the implementation of oral safety measures. To ensure minimal contact with the teeth, cheeks and lips are isolated using a variety of napkins and films. To prevent the gums from coming under the aggressive influence of the whitening gel, and to avoid chemical burns on the soft tissues, they are coated with a protective composition. Most often, this composition is liquid rubber dam. After application, it quickly hardens, forming a protective film.
The third stage is the whitening procedure. The surface of the teeth is pre-dried, and then it is evenly coated with active gel. After irradiating the teeth with an LED lamp for 10 minutes, this gel is removed. If the result does not satisfy the patient, the entire procedure is repeated again.

No more than three approaches can be performed during one visit to the dentist. All these steps will take about an hour. If this was not enough, a second visit to the dentist should only take place a week later.

Gentle on enamel and gums, does not cause pain

Experts say that teeth whitening with cold light eliminates the possibility of injury, overheating and overdrying of hard tissues, as well as increased enamel sensitivity after the procedure. When carrying out manipulations there is no risk of burns or irritation of the mucous membrane.

Cold whitening is a gentle method

“I’ve been wanting to try cold whitening for a long time. True, because of the name, I was afraid that the cold would set my teeth in the process, but it turned out that this was not the case at all. During the procedure, I very carefully monitored the sensations that arose: when the gel was applied, I felt a slight tingling sensation, but I did not have any direct pain or cramps. Everything is tolerant and acceptable! On the first day, of course, my teeth ached, there’s no way around it, but less than with chemical whitening, which I did before. By the second day I already felt completely fine.”

Viki_Niki, review from otzovik.com

Preparation Basics

The whitening technique necessarily requires preliminary preparation. There is nothing complicated in this process, but its necessity is obvious:

a thorough examination of the oral cavity - eliminating foci of inflammation, dental diagnoses, bringing periodontal tissues to a normal state;
removing plaque and rocky deposits - this will enhance the effect of the gel mass and improve the final result;
evaluation of the original color using a special tonality ruler;
providing the patient with protective equipment and installing a special device - a retractor. This prevents accidental contact of unnecessary fragments on the mucous membrane or eyes and will increase the safety of the manipulation.

Will not cope with hypoplasia and fluorosis

The technology will not be effective against non-carious lesions and stains that affect the aesthetics of the smile: hypoplasia, fluorosis, wedge-shaped defect. Especially if the pathologies are severe.

Are any of the professional whitening methods effective for the listed defects? Researchers claim that some types of hypoplasia, mild fluorosis and even tetracycline teeth are best treated with ZOOM technology. But most often, such patients are still offered to install veneers, lumineers and crowns (if the teeth are severely damaged), which, in addition to adding aesthetics to the smile, help protect the enamel from external influences, destruction and caries.

The technology will not be effective against fluorosis

Expected Result

According to dentists and patient reviews, the procedure for lightening enamel with cold light has a good result. During a session, it is possible to lighten the enamel tone by 6-10 tones, which is often beyond the power of other methods.

Teeth whitening is somewhat worse if the tone is far from ideal due to genetic reasons. Naturally yellowish or gray enamel is the most difficult to lighten.

With proper dental care and following medical recommendations, the results obtained will last from one to two years.

Allows you to lighten teeth by 6–10 shades

Teeth whitening without heat or laser is safer than with it. However, the effect of using this technology will not be so impressive: not 8–12, but 6–10 tones. The maximum positive result can be achieved if darkening or yellowing of the enamel was caused by smoking, consumption of food and drinks with dyes, or age-related changes.

Some doctors do not advise teeth whitening with cold light if the enamel has a natural gray tint, because then the maximum that can be achieved will be only 2-3 tones.

A smile can be lightened by 6–10 tones

Useful tips

Those who want the effect to last as long as possible should follow the dentist’s advice regarding care:

Carry out daily teeth cleaning more thoroughly , use only professional products;
purchase an irrigator - with it, daily procedures will become better;
adjust your diet - minimize the consumption of drinks and foods that contain coloring pigments;
stop smoking;
After each meal, rinse your mouth with special care products.

Cold teeth whitening techniques

Amazing White: this is one of the most popular and safest methods today, allowing you to lighten the enamel by 6-10 tones. At the same time, dentists who use the technique in their practice assure that you will get a natural color, and there is no risk of unnatural whiteness.

Amazing White is one of the most popular whitening methods

Beyond Polus: allows you to whiten teeth in different clinical cases, since the device designed for the procedure has several operating modes (soft, normal and intensive). According to a number of studies2, Beyond lamps emit minimal heat compared to similar devices from other manufacturers. Beyond International also offers patients the opportunity to purchase a halogen lamp for home use, but more details about this and much more can be found in the feature article on the website.

Beyond lamps produce minimal heat

Luma-Arch (“Luma Arch”): using this method you can lighten the enamel by 6-8 tones. To do this, you will only need to make 1 visit to the dentist and spend about 30 minutes (the teeth are lightened in three approaches of 8 minutes each). The method is not as popular in Russia as the others that were listed earlier.

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Androsenko N.I. Comparative characteristics of teeth whitening methods in therapeutic dentistry // Bulletin of medical Internet conferences. – 2022.
Lutskaya I.K. Current state of the problem of teeth whitening // International reviews: clinical practice and health. – 2022.

Expert “Teeth whitening with cold light is one of the safest technologies. But this does not negate careful preparation for the procedure, including professional oral hygiene, strengthening the enamel through fluoridation and remineralization, and the use of special pastes that reduce the sensitivity of hard tissues. It is also necessary to exclude contraindications: age under 18 years, multiple caries, acute inflammation of the gums, oncology, a large number of fillings or the presence of artificial crowns in the smile area.” Dental hygienist Victoria Nikolaevna Kashaeva

Consulting specialist

Kashaeva Victoria Nikolaevna

Specialization: Dental hygienist Experience: 8 years

Price

For white teeth, be prepared to pay from 3 to 15 thousand rubles

The cost of the procedure varies in different cities. In addition, it depends on the lamp used. Let's compare prices in Moscow in December 2018. Today, Moscow dental clinics use several cold light whitening systems; prices start at 5 thousand rubles.

The Beyond system uses a halogen lamp without heat or ultraviolet radiation. The price of the procedure starts from 8 thousand rubles.

One procedure of the Amazing White whitening system, popular in America, costs from 10 thousand rubles.

The Luma Cool system uses diode lamps instead of halogen lamps. You will have to pay from 12 thousand rubles for one whitening session.

Please remember that additional costs will apply. The price for professional teeth cleaning, depending on the clinic, will range from 3 to 15 thousand rubles.