Post Bleaching Sensitivity .........

As all dentists know, it has not been uncommon for a patient who has undergone bleaching to complain from sensitivity in his teeth just after the bleaching has been completed. This is not a proof of any adverse effect of bleaching on the teeth, as the most recent studies done by Dr. Leonard et al, involving 10 patients using the bleaching solution in a night guard for 14 days for 8-10 hours daily, found that the whitening solution has no or minimal effects on the surface of the enamel. Photographs and scanning electron microscopy at 200X and 2000Xwhere taken for the surface of the anterior teeth. Dr. Leonard used carbamide peroxide whitening solution for his evaluation .

Since bleaching has proved to be harmless no definite cause for the sensitivity has been implied. However, in another study by Dr. Laura Tam, on the same whitening solution also used on a period of 14 days, it was found that the addition of potassium nitrate and fluoride significantly reduced the sensitivity reported by the patients without changing the whitening efficacy of the bleaching gel.