When the whitening gel comes in contact with marginal gum it oxidize the peripheral keratin layer of the gingiva which produce temporary a dead white color and burning sensation. You have to know that sometimes the gum burning  is very annoying to the patient but it is not bad as it looks usually it is self repaired within hours with no problems.

There is many teeth whitening  systems available today some are professional systems that applied by the dentist  others are at home that the patient can apply himself but all of them will produce some degree of gum inflammation and burning. Sure the dentist applied teeth whitening produce the less troubles as the dentist usually uses a isolation system that keeps the material away from the gum but we have to say that complete isolation is very hard sometimes and generally we had a leakage here or there.

For at home teeth whitening systems the gum problems are little bit more annoying as the teeth whitening gel is delivered as a sticky gel loaded on a tray the the patient have to wear over night for 3-5 days, Although the gel is really sticky but it is impossible to isolate it completely from the gum as a matter of fact most of the marginal gingiva is in contact with the peroxide gel.

So how to avoid  teeth whitening gum burning??

1-First thin you shouldn’t panic as the gum burning is normal and  usually not severe and will heal and restore its normal appearance after hours or maximally a day

2-We have to say that complete prevention of gum burning after home bleaching is sometimes impossible, Generally there will be a little, reversible, self limiting burning but we should try to diminish the degree of burning so we can complete the whitening process to the end.

3-For dentist applied teeth whitening it is the dentist problem and i speak to patient here so he have to solve it himself.

4-For at home teeth whitening:

• You just have to follow the instructions of the manufacturer. DON’T use the tray for a longer period than advised.
• Also you shouldn’t apply excess gel to the tray as this won’t help to have whiter teeth and only will cause more gum burning.
• remove the excess gel with napkins after fitting the tray in place.
• you can also paint Vaseline or any other isolator to the peripheral gum margins with a small brush (ask you wife for a makeup old brush ) but take care not to paint it on the teeth as this will prevent the contact with the gel which will make the whitening not effective.
• Eat yogurt it will help to diminish the discomfort.

hint:

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dr A. Galal

practicing dentist

Teeth whitening research candidate

Hydrogen peroxide chemical composition :

HP is similar to water in chemical composition the only difference is an excess oxygen atom (H2O2). This material is capable of releasing free oxygen if exposed to light so it comes in dark bottles. So it considered as a strong oxidative and corrosive material in high concentrations. Also hydrogen peroxide happens naturally in the human body, Fresh fruits and even rain drops but i a very low concentrations.

Teeth bleaching in general:

Stains from food, drink even some drugs accumulate on the enamel surface of he tooth or even sometimes penetrate inside the inner layers of the tooth which cause the tooth to become darker in color. So the role of tooth whitener is to release free oxygen that will break the large stain particle to produce a smaller particles that is usually lighter in color. Professional and at home teeth whitening products available today are usually based on hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide, Both can produce free oxygen but hydrogen peroxide produce much more oxygen.

So theoretically teeth whiteners are acids and acids can dissolve calcium from teeth enamel which may cause porosity and roughness and less caries resistance BUT we have to say that after a thousands of researches that with the present ADA or FDA approved teeth whitening products the harm is minimal and and usually auto repaired to normal with no harmful effect persist.

We also have to say that if an un approved material used or approved material used in an improper way the technique can be harmful and cause low caries resistance, surface roughness and even a darker stains later as a cause of surface roughness.

Facts about using hydrogen peroxide mouthwash in teeth whitening:

• In some conditions dentists prescribes 3% hydrogen peroxide mouth wash for its disinfectant and anti microbial properties like in the cases the inflammation happens around the partially impacted wisdom also we use it with some gum diseases.
• Concentrations above 5% can be harmful and should not be used internally notice also the available 35% HP are for industrial use and should not come in contact with human body as it is very dangerous. Also many authors stated that prolonged use of HP even at 3% concentration can be harmful and should be avoided. (i usually prescribe hydrogen peroxide for only 3-5 days max )
• Hydrogen peroxide can be used to make your teeth looks whiter but the concentrations approved as a mouth wash is very week also the prolonged use is harmful so within the safe limits the result will be minimal and most patients won’t be satisfied by the results.
• Teeth whitening dentist can use safely concentrations up to 35% hydrogen peroxide why?? Because the solution here is very sticky gel that will still in place with no flow and the dentist will isolate the field so the gel won’t come in contact with any soft tissue also the professional  bleaching gel  is releasing oxygen so slow to give deeper penetration to the tooth also less harm but the peroxide solutions that usually used for teeth bleaching home made recipes are in the liquid form also it releases oxygen in the first minutes so gives less penetration and more harm to the surface of the tooth .
• Using bleaching agents on carious teeth or exposed roots can lead to severe sensitivity or even tooth nerve death which will require root canal treatment which can be very expensive. So you should see your dentist first to fill any carious teeth before starting any kind of teeth whitening.

Moral of the story:

If you want to have teeth whitening the best way is to visit your dentist and let him recommend the best for you, Also he should check your teeth for caries or exposed roots to avoid severe sensitivity or pulp death.

If you want to avoid paying money for a dentist visit then the best of two evils will be buying on of the available over the counter whitening kits or tooth paste as it will be designed for this purpose and please don’t prepare it at home.

Some of the over the counter teeth whitening products are hydrogen peroxide based and the others are carpamide peroxide based if i was you i would choose the carbamide preparations as it will be much safe