ABSTRACT

This study was planned to provide a good esthetics and a beautiful smile to the patients who were not satisfied with the color of their teeth at the end of orthodontic therapy and to evaluate positive or possible negative effects of this technique on teeth and thus to introduce it as a clinically easy teeth whitening technique. The study was conducted on a group of patients who had completed their orthodontic therapy but not pleased with the color of their teeth on retention phase. Pretreatment records were taken and the color of the teeth was selected using a Vita Scale. Tooth vitality, gingival plaque and non-marginal gingival indexes were evaluated in the treatment procedure and the following 6 months of retention phase. Quasar Brite (light cure 37% hydrogen peroxide whitening mixture) was chosen as the whitening agent. As a conclusion, for all the patients, several shades of whitening was observed when compared with pretreatment records and the yellowish brown patches seen were completely removed. There were no statistically significant differences found for any safety measure at all time periods. In one patient, sensitivity during the procedure and in another one, sensitivity after the procedure was observed but there was no sign of sensitivity after flour application. We observed no other problem during or after the treatment and we strongly recommend whitening in orthodontic practice.