How harmful is bleaching for my teeth?
Dentists and chemists argue about this topic. It is proven that bleaching removes minerals, such as calcium from the enamel. This leads to a loss of hardness of the enamel surface.
The enamel is less solid and more unstable against abrasion.This means that you can already remove some enamel with a toothbrush at this stage. After bleaching, it is therefore important to use a toothpaste containing minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and fluorine to strengthen the enamel again. Studies have proven that after only 10 days the enamel is as hard as before the bleaching.
However, they assumed that the teeth were healthy. Not every tooth reacts optimally after the procedure. What is very often reported is a hypersensitivity to heat and cold of the teeth.
But even this should have normalized after a few hours or days. Nevertheless, it is important to take a break of at least 2-3 years between individual bleaching procedures so that the enamel has enough time to regenerate. Bleaching should not be used on teeth that have enamel defects or are even plagued by an enamel disease (e.g. Amelogenesis imperfecta).
It is not harmful, but annoying if after bleaching the veneers and crowns and even fillings appear much darker than the teeth. Bleaching only lightens the natural tooth substance. Fillings remain in their original color and may need to be replaced.
Cost of teeth bleaching
There is no billing item for dental bleaching in the Bema (evaluation standard for dental services) or in the fee schedule. Therefore every dentist can choose his own prices. Since bleaching is not a medical treatment, but only a cosmetic treatment (only discolorations that are not harmful to health are removed), the procedure must be paid privately.
So the costs vary, but the following prices are a guide: the freely available set from the drugstore costs between 10 and 100€. The splint individually fitted to your own teeth costs 200-400 € once. The bleaching gel from the tube for refilling is available for 20-50€.
This method is the best value for money, because the splint can be used again after years. The in-office bleaching costs a one-time fee of 400-600 €. If this method is additionally supported by laser and light treatment, the price is about 700€. For root canal filled teeth, i.e. the Walking bleach technique of a single tooth, the price can be assumed to be around 50-150 € per tooth.
