Teeth bleaching nightmare!
 

Hi,

I wonder if amyone could give me some advice. I had my teeth bleached for the first time by my orthodontist after Invisalign braces with Illume -1hr. After it was done I had really throbbing extremely sensitive teeth. I went to see my dentist who told me to use toothpaste in the customs made bleaching trays overnight. I did this for two weeks but the trays caused my teeth to move which caused more pain. I then got a shooting pain through my left upper front tooth and this tooth has become more painful. It hurts all the time now and is sensitive to cold and throbs sometimes (I have been drinking through a straw). I also clench and grind my teeth which hasn't helped and am now wearing a nightguard.

To add to my misery I also developed a burning pain in my trigeminal nerve under my scalp and a general ache through my back molars. My GP said it was a form of Reginal Pain Syndrome and should settle in time. I am now worried that I will need root canals especially in my front tooth. Can bleaching cause this much pain? It is now three months since I had it done.

First it is not recommended to undergo a teeth whitening treatment after orthodontic treatment for at least 6 months post op time. This because your enamel need to remineralize and gain its strength after an ortho treatment
I have completed at least 300 teeth whitening procedures and ive never had any patient experiencing similar complications. What kind of light did your dentist use? What kind of gel? ( Hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide and what was the percentage of the active ingredient used?) Did he use desensityzing agent prior to treatment? Did he use Liquid rubber dam to insulate your gum? All this materials need to be used in order to prevent such experiences. If he did then you are most likely a unique case :)

No one uses trays anymore, patients can overfill the trays causing irritation of the gums due to the contact of the gel with your gingiva. This is absolutely wrong. These methods are old. Now you can use a touch up pen to control the amount of gel and activate it with a mini LED light to speed up the process.

I would suggest you to stop using these trays until your sensitivity disappears. Use Vitamine E 100% oil and fluoride rinse to improve your sensitivity issue.

Hi littledol,

I have done many hundreds of in office whitenings and yes, you can develop severe sensitivity afterwards. I don't think your case is unique at all given the circumstances (ortho, overuse of toothpaste, clench/grinidng) that you mentioned. By any chance do you have fillings in any of the teeth that are very sensitive? Using toothpaste in your trays may be adding to your problem depending on what you are using. Does it have any whitening agents in it? Many people are sensitive to some of the ingredients found in most commerical toothpastes endorsed by the ADA so perhaps switching to an herbal based toothpaste with no whitening agents would be less irritating. I personally am not a big fan of fluoride because it is harmful when ingested and in my opinion, the small benefit (if any) does not outweigh the risk.

Do you have a nightguard to wear when you are sleeping? That could help alot if you wore it every night. A clenching or grinding habit alone can cause tooth sensitivity and/or cause teeth to die from the constant irritation of knawing on them.

Bryanna

I forgot to mention that if you find a mouthguard unconfortable you can get a bite block fabricated from a dental lab. Ask your dentist. It is less invasive. The problem with the bite block is that it is not removable