At Flagship Dental we pride ourselves on providing the highest quality state of the art dental treatment.  We do not however offer in office "light activated" bleaching like the zoom or britesmile system.  While these methods of bleaching teeth have received a lot of press attention there are some basic facts that won't in good conscience allow us to use these systems for our patients.  Here are some myths and facts on "light activated" or "power" bleaching.

Myth:  The bleach is activated by the light.
Fact:   This has been carefully studied by independent researchers and in fact the light has NO EFFECT on the bleaching results.  CRA (basically the "consumer reports of the dental world") did a very nice study looking at the effect of light on bleaching by using what is called a split arch technique.  A series of patients had 1/2 of their teeth bleached with the light, 1/2 without.  The results were that there was NO DIFFERENCE between the sides.  This type of study has been repeated with the same results by others. 

Myth:  In office "power" bleaching is more effective than take home tray systems.
Fact:   Studies have shown that the take home tray systems give at least as good, if not better results.

Myth:  "Power" bleaching will get your teeth white in an hour.
Fact:    Your teeth may look a lot whiter right after the in office bleaching, but that isn't how they will stay.  The bleach solution drys the teeth out significantly making the teeth look a lot whiter.  However the teeth will rehydrate and will darken in a couple of days.  This phenomenon is well know to dentists.  One of the first lessons you get in matching shades is to do it at the very start of a dental appointment because even 30 minutes of drying the teeth out will result in a significant color change. Th truth is that at best in office "power" bleaching provides a start to the process.  Take home trays or multiple in office sessions are still needed to get the results most patients desire.

Myth:  Take home tray bleaching and in office "power" bleaching are the same in terms of sensitivity of your teeth.
Fact:   Due to a combination of the higher bleach concentration and the dehydration of the teeth, patients should expect significantly more pain and sensitivity from the in office procedure.  Most offices that perform in office bleaching will have patients pre-medicate with high doses of ibuprofen to help reduce the post operative pain.  Even still there are many reports of patients having severe pain following the in office bleaching.  With the tray systems we use a fairly low bleach concentration over a longer period of time.  This "low and slow" approach gives great results and generally very little trouble with sensitive teeth.

Myth:  In office "power" bleaching is completely safe.
Fact:   Recently there have been some alarming reports of lip and gum burns associated with these in office procedures.  Some of the lights put out significant UV light, so much that the lips need to be protected with SPF 50 sunblock and then be covered with gauze to prevent burns from the light.  Even with these precautions there are reports of burns.  Also the higher concentration bleach is a caustic material.  The gum tissues are protected with a paint on plastic barrier to prevent chemical burns.  But if this barrier leaks the gum tissue can be burned as well. 


As you can see "power" bleaching really offers no benefit for our patients, and has some significant risks.  Essentially these lights are nothing more than marketing gimmicks to attract patients.  We aren't interested in gimmicks.  Our patients place their trust in our professional judgment, and this is something we take  very seriously.  Given the evidence we have the clear conclusion is that the take home tray systems are effective, safer, and less costly.