Teeth Whitening Basics

Let's face it: one of the first things you notice about people is their smile. When you meet someone with a bright, natural smile, it catches your attention. However, over time, the natural aging process and your lifestyle (smoking or drinking coffee, tea, or wine) can stain your teeth.

To get your smile back to looking its best, you should choose a whitening method that:

• Achieves the longest-lasting results
• Gives you the most naturally brilliant and uniform look
• Is clinically proven to be safe and effective
• Uses a low concentration of active ingredient (hydrogen peroxide)
• Is administered by dental professionals

In short, you should choose BriteSmile.

Here's how BriteSmile Works

1. BriteSmile whitening gel is carefully applied to your teeth.

2. The gel is then activated by BriteSmile's patented gentle blue light for 20 minutes while you relax and watch TV or listen to music.

3. This process is repeated twice more before you go home with a naturally brilliant new smile (and your personal "Before & After" photos).

Overview

Light Augments Tooth Whitening With Peroxide

Background
The authors tested the adjunctive use of light with a 15 percent peroxide gel as a single-visit, in-office tooth whitening system.

Methods
Subjects (N=87) with stained (>shade D4, Vita Zahnfabrik, Bad S䣫ingen, Germany) anterior teeth were randomly assigned to test (peroxide and light), peroxide control (peroxide gel) or light control (placebo gel and light) groups and were treated for one hour. The researchers evaluated tooth shade, color and subject response at baseline and post treatment and at three and six months post treatment.

Results
The initial shade unit reduction of combined light and peroxide treatment (8.4) was greatest compared with that of peroxide alone (5.9) and of light alone (4.9). Approximately 88 percent of these effects persisted for six months. Lightness was increased and yellowness decreased to a significantly greater extent in the test group than in either control. These findings were corroborated by subject evaluation. One week after treatment, moderate to greatly increased tooth sensitivity occurred in 20 percent of test subjects, 21.7 percent of peroxide control subjects and none of the light control subjects. Neither tooth sensitivity nor gingival redness was present at the three and six month visits.

Conclusions
Peroxide and light treatment significantly lightened the color of teeth to a greater extent than did peroxide or light alone, with a low and transient incidence of tooth sensitivity.

Clinical Implications
Light can increase the tooth-whitening effect of peroxide, thereby increasing the effectiveness of tooth-whitening procedures.

Tavares M, Newman , Smith V et al. Light augments tooth whitening with peroxide. JADA 2003;134(2):167-75. Copyright ? 2003 American Dental Association. All rights reserved. Table of Contents Page on the ADA.org Web site and follow the instructions to view the article in the February 2003 archive section. Please note that ADA members and JADA paid subscribers have full access free of charge, while all other visitors must pay an access fee per Journal article.

BriteSmile Technology

The BriteSmile Whitening System
BriteSmile has revolutionized tooth whitening with state-of-the-art technology that is safe and effective. BriteSmile is gentle. There's no laser, no heat, and no scraping. Our whitening system uses only two simple elements: gel and light.

The BriteSmile Light

The patented BriteSmile light is not a laser. It's a specially designed lamp that shines a gentle, blue light on your teeth. It works in tandem with our proprietary whitening gel to accelerate the whitening process. This light has been clinically proven safe for tooth enamel as well as skin, gums, and other soft tissues. It emits virtually no heat and no harmful UV (ultraviolet) light. Our lamps are uniquely shaped to illuminate and whiten all "smile line" teeth (top and bottom) at the same time, ensuring natural and uniform results.

The BriteSmile Whitening Gel

The BriteSmile light is used in combination with our patented whitening gel, which has been optimized for patient safety and maximum results. While other whitening gels contain as much as 35%-50% hydrogen peroxide, BriteSmile's proprietary gel contains only 15% peroxide and is buffered at a near-neutral pH value that is compatible with tooth enamel. The gel also contains other ingredients such as glycerin and highly purified water to prevent tooth dehydration and to further ensure safety. The gel is specifically engineered to respond to the blue wavelengths of our light system. When the light illuminates the gel, it activates and safely accelerates the whitening process, achieving amazing results in just one hour.