ABSTRACT
There has been a large increase in the whitening techniques and treatments that are available to patients, which has led to a huge paradigm shift away from the existing philosophy of undertaking mechanical dentistry and towards minimally invasive dentistry. Types of whitening treatments that can be combined are as follows: home and power whitening; internal and external whitening or nonvital and home whitening together; sectional whitening of specific teeth and full-arch whitening treatment; and home whitening, microabrasion, and/or resin infiltration. The reasons for nonvital whitening include: trauma, previous dental treatment, pulp necrosis, and endodontic materials. A protective barrier is placed over the gutta-percha to prevent the whitening gel from escaping into the root canal system at the cementoenamel junction. The patient is sent home with the whitening instructions and enough whitening materials to lighten the tooth. Composite restorations can be placed 2 weeks after completion of the final whitening treatment.
