Whitening is one of the most requested treatments and, also, one with the most myths around it. Here we separate what the clinical evidence says from what gets passed around.
“Whitening wears the enamel”
False. Professional whitening with carbamide or hydrogen peroxide acts on the pigments inside the tooth, not on the enamel. The tooth structure is left intact. What it can produce is temporary sensitivity for 24–48 hours, especially with high-concentration in-clinic treatments.
”Supermarket kits work the same”
False. Over-the-counter products carry low concentrations that only remove surface stains (coffee, tobacco). For a real change in colour you need a professional whitening with custom trays, which acts on the dentin.
”With fillings or veneers you can’t whiten”
Half true. Fillings and veneers don’t change colour with whitening. So if you’re going for a full aesthetic treatment, we whiten first, then once the colour is stable we redo the fillings or veneers in the new shade.
What we do at Odonlab
We work with the Opalescence system in two formats: in-clinic whitening (one 90-minute session) and at-home whitening (custom trays for 2 weeks). The most common option is combining both: one in-clinic session to start, then home reinforcement. Stable result for 2–4 years with simple maintenance.