Effectiveness of combined internal-external bleaching for nonvital teeth: case reports

In general, patients' dissatisfaction with the appearance of their smile is mainly influenced by the color of their teeth. Darkening of a single anterior tooth negatively impacts the appearance of the smile. Tooth bleaching is considered a conservative treatment option for darkened nonvital teeth, and, whenever possible, must be considered the first choice of treatment. This article describes the successful use of the internal-external home bleaching technique in 2 patients, each of whom had a single darkened nonvital tooth. In this technique, the bleaching agent is applied simultaneously to both the internal and external surfaces of the tooth. The bleaching agent of choice is 10% carbamide peroxide. This technique is simple, low cost, and conservative and provides excellent esthetic results.