Not everybody's teeth have the same potential for whitening. Teeth have a tendency to lighten to a certain level and then no more, regardless of the teeth whitening method employed. One study evaluated a group of individuals all employing the same teeth whitening system (10% carbamide peroxide used in a bleaching tray). They found that:
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When you reach the end point of your whitening efforts it is most likely that you will notice that the color of your teeth will relapse slightly during those first days and weeks after the teeth whitening process has been terminated. This is a normal and common place phenomenon.
An important consideration in regards to this color relapse is that after their whitening process has been completed many people have new dental restorations placed, so to match the new color of their teeth. Obviously this dental work should not be performed until the color of their teeth has stabilized.
As a general rule peroxide teeth whiteners will not affect the color of existing dental work. Possibly there is some clinical evidence that white fillings ("dental composite fillings") might lighten slightly but a change should not be counted on.
A more consistent exception to the rule that dental work won't lighten concerns dental veneers. Veneers are thin shells of porcelain that are bonded onto the front side of teeth so to improve their cosmetic appearance. Veneers are usually translucent, their apparent color is usually influenced by the tooth structure that lies underneath them.
If a tooth whitening process is used it will change the color of the underlying tooth and quite possibly the color of the overlying dental veneer. Depending on a person's specific circumstances this might be good or bad. The important fact here being that one must anticipate the potential for a color change of a veneered tooth if a whitening process is used.
It is critical that you understand that before you use a teeth whitening product you must know precisely what aspects of which teeth are composed of or covered over by dental work. It is very common that after the bleaching process has been completed new dental restorations will need to be placed, so to match the new color of your teeth. You must plan ahead for the need for this work because its cost may be substantial. This is one of the reasons why it is prudent to have an evaluation by your dentist before any teeth whitening treatments are begun.
An important service your dentist's pre-whitening evaluation can provide is to identify that tooth staining which the whitening process is not likely not to improve upon. Tooth decay, teeth stained by metal fillings, and the yellow root surfaces of teeth are some of the types of discoloration peroxide whiteners will not lighten. Some conditions, such as the presence of tooth decay, may require prompt attention by your dentist.
Whitening teeth with peroxide-based system is really a pretty straightforward affair. It just takes exposing a tooth's surface to an appropriate bleaching agent, for an appropriate amount of time, over an appropriate treatment period. Within reason and per a product's instructions, the total overall exposure of the tooth to the whitener will simply need to be greater for those types of staining that are more difficult to resolve.
While the tray-based (and possibly even the strip-based) teeth whitening systems we discuss on our pages can be similar in nature to those whitening products dispensed and monitored by a dentist it seems that over-the-counter teeth whitening kits are best suited for those situations that typically have the most favorable prognosis for lightening. Dentist supervised at-home peroxide-based teeth whitening protocol can involve using whiteners for an extended period of time but unsupervised over-the-counter products are not intended for this type of usage.
A person might use over-the-counter teeth whitening products as their introduction to the field of teeth whitening. If when complying with the directions that accompany the over-the-counter whitening product they have purchased they don't get the results they desired, then it makes sense that they should consult their dentist. Their dentist should be able to determined why their previous efforts fell short and also what solutions, teeth bleaching or otherwise, exist as remedies.
Here is some information from a study that evaluated the whitening results of a group of people over a ten year time frame. While all of the participants in this study had used an at-home tray-based teeth whitening system utilizing 10% carbamide peroxide it seems likely that other peroxide based bleaching products would give similar results.
The study followed and periodically evaluated the same group of people. If a person re-treated their initial bleaching efforts, even on a touch up basis, they were dropped from the study.
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As you've just learned, the effects of the teeth whitening process will relapse with time. The speed with which this relapse occurs however will vary with each individual.
Some people will find that to maintain the appearance they desire they will need to perform touch up whitening at 6 to 12 month intervals. The study we referenced higher up on this page suggests that. They found that of the 43% of its participants that achieved a "large color change" when whitening only 17% of them still retained this high degree of lightening six months later. Others may find that touch up work is required much less often, possibly as infrequently as once every few years.
People who's consumption habits regularly include chromogenic agents such as coffee, tea, cola, red wine, and tobacco products will probably find a greater need for touch ups than those who do not regularly expose themselves to these items.
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