Tooth sensitivity during whitening treatment is a common side effect with almost all tooth whitening products. The good news is that sensitivity is usually short-term and disappears after treatment.
Tooth sensitivity during whitening treatment is a common side effect with almost all tooth whitening products. The good news is that sensitivity is usually short-term and disappears after treatment.
Tooth whitening works by soaking into the tooth enamel. During this process, your enamel gets temporarily weaker as the chemicals used in whitening can remove minerals from the teeth. Your mouth naturally produces its own minerals, and your enamel will return to its normal level of strength after a few days through a process called remineralisation, but until that time you may experience sensitivity. This is because the weaker enamel leaves the ‘tubes’ in your teeth that lead to the nerve endings inside open, exposing the nerve to changes in temperature. This is why you might experience pain when eating sugary foods or drinking hot/cold drinks.
The best ways to avoid sensitivity during tooth whitening are:
Avoid things that make your teeth sensitive – for the duration of your whitening and for a few days afterwards, try and avoid extreme temperatures such as hot drinks, ice cream, or sugars as these can irritate the sensitive nerves and cause discomfort.
Reduce your whitening schedule – give your teeth a break and allow your enamel to remineralise by switching your tooth whitening schedule to every other day. This gives your teeth time to recover in between doses of whitening treatment and reduces sensitivity. Your overall treatment time may take longer, but you’ll still have the same beautiful results without the sensitivity.
Use your Prestige Desensitiser as a serum – your Prestige kit will have come with a desensitiser to use as a toothpaste before and during your treatment, but it also doubles up as a leave-in serum. This desensitiser has been specially designed to provide your teeth with the necessary minerals to keep your enamel strong, reducing sensitivity. Simply apply a small amount of your desensitiser directly to your teeth with clean fingers and leave it on.
Contact your dentist if you’re worried – if you’re experiencing extreme sensitivity, the best thing to do is contact your dentist. They can give you advice and check that everything is going smoothly with your whitening treatment.
