A novel technique for in-office bleaching with a 6% hydrogen peroxide paint-on varnish

In-office techniques for bleaching vital teeth are effective and expedient, but because they require the use of elevated concentrations of hydrogen peroxide-based agents, which are caustic and potentially toxic, they are found to be less appealing by practitioners compared with home whitening procedures. In this article we propose a new technique for in-office whitening of vital teeth using a 6% hydrogen peroxide paint-on whitening varnish, which enables the whitening procedure to be more economic and user-friendly, as well as less toxic and time consuming, compared with traditional in-office bleaching. A total of six patients with no caries or restorations in the maxillary and mandibular anterior teeth were selected for this study. Ten-minute applications of the paint-on whitening varnish were performed repeatedly with each patient for up to 1 hour and then repeated 1 week later. Initial shades were recorded with a Vita scale guide, and photographs were taken at the beginning and end of the study. A questionnaire assessing clinical parameters and patient satisfaction was performed. A change of 7 to 13 values on the Vita scale was observed in all cases. There were no reports of tooth sensitivity, and overall patient satisfaction was achieved. In-office bleaching with the use of paint-on varnishes seems to be effective, safe, and well accepted by patients, offering a viable alternative to high-peroxide-concentration in-office procedures.