Bleaching

At ALPINE WHITE, we attach great importance to the health and safety of your teeth. For this reason, there are certain situations in which we cannot carry out bleaching:

Erosions on the front teeth

If you have numerous erosions on your front teeth, especially those caused by excessive consumption of acidic drinks or vomiting, we do not recommend bleaching. The acid can attack the enamel and lead to increased sensitivity, which can make bleaching uncomfortable or harmful.

Initial lesions and advanced caries

Bleaching is not recommended for many initial lesions or advanced caries. The bleaching gel could penetrate deeper into the tooth through damaged areas and cause pain or further damage.

Defective fillings

If you have many defective fillings, bleaching may not be feasible. Defective fillings can cause the whitening gel to penetrate areas it shouldn't reach, which can lead to uneven results or damage.

Plastic abutments, dental crowns or other dental restorations

Bleaching gel does not work on materials such as plastic or porcelain, which many dental restorations are made of. If you have such restorations, especially in the visible area of your smile, whitening can lead to an uneven colour result where your natural teeth become lighter but the restoration remains unchanged.

Periodontitis

If you have periodontitis, a serious inflammation of the gums that also affects the jawbone and can lead to loosening of the teeth, bleaching is not advisable. The treatment can irritate the inflamed areas and aggravate the condition.

Too much tartar

An excessive build-up of tartar can be an obstacle to effective whitening. Tartar forms a hard layer on the teeth that prevents the whitening gel from reaching the enamel. It is important that tartar is removed professionally with dental hygiene before a whitening treatment.

Excessive bleeding gums - gingival barrier does not hold

If you suffer from excessive bleeding gums, this may be a sign of underlying gum disease. In such cases, creating a gingival barrier to protect the gums during bleaching can be difficult or impossible. This increases the risk of gum irritation or damage from the bleaching gel.

Tooth enamel too thin

Tooth enamel that is too thin can increase the risk of tooth sensitivity and damage caused by bleaching. Tooth enamel is the outer protective layer of your teeth. If it is too thin, the whitening gel can penetrate the tooth more easily and cause pain or permanent damage.

Teeth that are too light in colour

Despite the gentleness of our bleaching, it may be unnecessary for teeth that are already very light in colour and may not result in any visible improvement to your smile. In such cases, we recommend refraining from further bleaching treatments. At ALPINE WHITE, we attach great importance to personalised advice. Together we will find the best solution to preserve and emphasise the natural beauty of your smile.

Important to know

Dental hygiene must be carried out a maximum of 2 months before bleaching.

We do not recommend bleaching in the following cases:

• If you have numerous erosions on your front teeth caused by excessive consumption of acidic drinks or if you suffer from emetics.
• If you have many initial lesions, i.e. many advanced cavities or many defective fillings.
• If you have a plastic abutment, a dental crown or other dental prosthesis.

Before bleaching

Please do not eat any discolouring food 1-2 hours before the bleaching. Fill out the health questionnaire so that we can best address your individual dental situation. 

Our tip: The desired whitening result can be achieved even better with a professional dental cleaning. Dental hygiene removes tartar, plaque and biofilm from the tooth surface. This allows the whitening gel to work better on the tooth surface. You can book both treatments in one session with the combination package and save CHF 30.

During bleaching

During bleaching, the whitening gel penetrates the tooth enamel, breaks up discoloured pigments and makes the tooth substance lighter. The bleaching gel is applied in 4 passes of 15 minutes each. You can relax completely, as no LED mouthpiece is required. The procedure is completely painless thanks to our gentle bleaching formulation without peroxides.

Please note that dental restorations such as veneers can only be restored to their original colour by professional teeth whitening. In this case, we recommend that you book dental hygiene and treat your teeth with Charcoal Powder, which also restores the original tooth colour.

Immediately after the treatment

We recommend that you avoid discolouring foods and drinks, discolouring mouthwashes and smoking for the next 24 hours after bleaching.

Long-term result

How to optimise your white smile: Make sure you take good care of your teeth and maintain optimal oral hygiene. For the next 7 days, we recommend that you apply our Whitening Strips for 1 hour per day, which you will receive free of charge with your whitening treatment. You can find the complete instructions here. In addition, you can use one of our Whitening Toothpastes, which will also enhance the whitening effect.

During our bleaching treatment, external discolourations of the tooth enamel are removed. A distinction can be made between extrinsic and intrinsic tooth discolouration. Extrinsic discolourations are caused by external influences, such as deposits. Intrinsic discolouration affects the inside of the tooth, i.e. the enamel or the dentin.

The dentin determines the colour of your tooth. Often, however, the dentin is not white, but slightly darker. How dark the dentin is is genetically determined. 

Depending on the structure of the enamel, it is possible for the dark dentin to shine through the enamel, resulting in intrinsic discolouration. So if you have darker dentin, you may not get the desired result with our whitening.

We want you to be satisfied and understand what to expect from our teeth whitening before booking your appointment. 

Based on our experience, we can say that for people with a light initial colour (A1, B1) or for clients who have already had their teeth whitened within the last two years, a stronger result can be achieved than with initial treatments. 

If you start with a darker initial colour (below A2), yellow, brown or orange tooth discolourations can usually not be completely removed in one treatment. In some cases, discolouration of the enamel and its degradation can be very stubborn. You should therefore plan to have a second treatment within the next 3 months to achieve the desired white teeth.

The effect of whitening can last up to 18 months. However, this is dependent on your lifestyle, as your diet, any smoking you do and the condition of your teeth will all have a big impact on the colour of your teeth. You can, however, refresh the result with a Whitening Strip or use Whitening Toothpaste every day. Charcoal Powder also helps to keep discolouration at bay and maintain a bright smile. The dental staff in the Studio will be happy to advise you on this.

No, not all teeth can always be whitened:

• In the case of fillings, crowns or dentures: Since only natural tooth structure can be whitened, dental fillings or crowns and dentures retain their colouring.
• For dead teeth: Even with dead teeth, bleaching the teeth from the outside does not lead to success. They have to be bleached from the inside.
• With natural teeth: Occasionally, tooth bleaching may not work even on healthy and natural teeth. If the enamel is very thin and transparent, and/or the dentin is rather dark, it is possible that the bleaching of the enamel does not contribute to a great change in the colour of the teeth. Likewise, discolouration of the enamel and its degradation can sometimes be stubborn. In this case, you should plan to have a second treatment within the next 3 months to achieve the desired white teeth.

If a satisfactory result is not achieved, it is possible to resort to veneers.

Classic power bleaching with peroxides in a dental practice can cause classic side effects such as hypersensitivity or enamel erosion. Power bleaching can also cause hypersensitivity and pain at the necks of the teeth. Electrifying pain in particular makes many people shy away from whitening at the dentist.

You will not experience these side effects with our in-office bleaching in the Studio. ALPINE WHITE bleaching is based on our tried and tested whitening formulation, which has been adapted as a cosmetic product for professional use. The formulation is not harmful to your dental health. 

Unlike conventional whitening products from the dentist's office, ALPINE WHITE whitening gel in the Studio does not use peroxides such as hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide. The whitening is completely painless. Neither tooth enamel nor gums are damaged, as confirmed in our clinical study. In dental practice, the whitening agent is also activated with light, this is not necessary with our bleaching method and is therefore more pleasant to perform.

Please note: We do not currently offer dental trays, but specialise in in-office bleaching.

There are two common methods of teeth whitening: in-office bleaching and home bleaching. The main difference between the methods is where the treatment is performed.

In-office bleaching is a quick and effective method that can be done in the dentist's office or at our ALPINE WHITE Studios.

Home bleaching, on the other hand, is a method that the client can perform at home. ALPINE WHITE offers you various products for home bleaching.

Overall, in-office bleaching is the faster and more effective bleaching method that is supervised by a dental professional. Home bleaching, on the other hand, is the more convenient and cost-effective method that you can do yourself at home. The choice between the two bleaching methods depends on your individual needs and preferences and how much time you want to invest.

Teeth can become discoloured for a number of reasons, including:

• Certain colour pigments contained in food and drinks can be deposited on the tooth surface and discolour the teeth.
  
• Stimulants such as smoking, coffee, tea and red wine can also cause discolouration.
  
• Ageing: As we age, teeth become darker and can look yellowish. This is because the outer enamel wears away, revealing the dentin underneath. The dentin has a slightly yellowish colour.
  
• Dental injuries and medical conditions: Dental injuries, root canals, cavities and some medical conditions can also cause teeth to discolour.