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In-office vital tooth bleaching--what do lights add?
Derek K Hein1, Brad J Ploeger, Jason K Hartup
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA.
Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry (Jamesburg, N.J. : 1995)
|June 10, 2003
Summary
Tooth bleaching lights do not enhance hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) effectiveness. Chemical catalysts within bleaching gels, not light or heat, accelerate tooth lightening, reducing treatment time and H2O2 concentration.
Area of Science:
- Dentistry
- Biomaterials
Background:
- Aqueous hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a common dental bleaching agent.
- Clinical application of H2O2 for tooth lightening often requires multiple sessions.
- Empirical use of heat and light aims to accelerate H2O2 decomposition and tooth lightening.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the catalytic role of specific bleaching lights (LumaArch, Optilux 500, Zoom!) in tooth lightening.
- To compare the efficacy of bleaching gels with and without light activation.
- To determine if light or heat from bleaching devices contributes to the catalytic process.
Main Methods:
- A split-arch clinical study involving 15 subjects and 83 pairs of teeth.
- Contralateral teeth were treated with bleaching gel plus light versus bleaching gel alone.
- Laboratory analysis of bleach gel chemistry, light output, and the effects of light and heat alone on the bleaches.
Main Results:
- The tested bleaching lights did not significantly improve tooth lightening compared to bleaching gel alone.
- All teeth exhibited similar lightening (1.7 color increments).
- LumaArch and Zoom! gels demonstrated faster lightening and reduced H2O2 concentration, attributed to proprietary chemical catalysts within the gels, not the lights themselves.
Conclusions:
- Chemical catalysts incorporated into bleaching gels are responsible for accelerating tooth lightening.
- Neither light nor heat generated by the tested bleaching devices act as catalysts for H2O2 decomposition.
- The study highlights the importance of chemical formulation in optimizing dental bleaching efficiency.