Intracoronal bleaching of discolored non-vital teeth

This clinical study compared the effectiveness of bleaching non-vital teeth with an open pulp chamber during bleaching using 10% carbamide peroxide compared to the modified walking bleach technique and extracoronal bleaching. Sixty discolored, non-vital teeth were treated. They were divided into three groups. Each group was treated with one of the bleaching materials and methods: extracoronally using 10% carbamide peroxide for two weeks as negative control (Group A), intracoronally using sodium perborate mixed with 3% hydrogen peroxide (modified walking bleach technique) (Rotstein, Mor & Friedman, 1993) for four weeks (Group B) and intracoronally and extracoronally using 10% carbamide peroxide for two weeks (Group C) (Liebenberg, 1997). Tooth color was measured at baseline, (BL), immediately post-bleaching (IP) and six months post-bleaching (SP) with a colorimeter (Castor, Sigma, Germany) using a tooth-positioning jig. The color was determined according to the CIELAB system, which records lightness as L* and chromaticity coordinates as a* and b*. The difference in L* and b* among the three groups was significant between BL and IP examination. The post-bleaching, whitening effect in Group C was significantly better, but after six months, in Group C, it was as effective as in Group B.