Q. I’m currently whitening my teeth at home with a custom set of trays made at my local dentist’s office. I’m using Optident 20% carbamide peroxide gel (2 hrs per session). After two nights in a row my teeth feel somewhat sensitive and on the third night during whitening I have experiences a couple of mildly painful ‘zingers’. So far I’ve been leaving the treatment a couple of days and then repeating. However, I feel that to get some real results I need to continue the treatment each night for a couple of weeks – which I’m sure will make my teeth more sensitive as I go. Is there any danger in feeling zingers and general sensitivity, and is there more merit in the treatments being done daily rather than spread out over a longer period of time? Many thanks for reading my question and any advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

A. To get the best results you should bleach on consecutive nights for 2 weeks. The bleach penetrates the enamel, dentine and nerve hence the sensitivity.  There is no permanent damage although the teeth do become porous and you should stay away from staining foods and drinks for the time you bleach and for 2 weeks after. Please be assured that once you stop the bleaching the sensitivity will go away after about a week. 

Dr Julian Caplan
Aviva Cosmetic Dentistry
Director on the board of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
www.avivacosmeticdentistry.co.uk
101 St. Peters Street
St. Albans Hertfordshire
AL1 3EN