Erin Boyleston, RDH, MS, is an associate professor and director of the Dental Hygiene Program at Augusta University (AU) in Augusta, Georgia. She serves as clinic coordinator for first-year dental hygiene students and is the course director for introduction to clinic I and clinic II and pharmacology.
Many of my patients ask for recommendations for at-home whitening modalities. How should I determine which is best based on individual patient characteristics?
I have several patients who have undergone in-office bleaching and would like some over-the-counter options to upkeep their new white smiles. What do you suggest?
One of my patients asked me about using activated charcoal to whiten teeth. While I had not heard of this before, upon a Google search, it seems to be a popular approach to at-home bleaching. How should I advise my patients on this trend?
I often suggest to patients who experience mild sensitivity caused by at-home whitening treatment to reduce any excess solution in the tray by using a Q-tip to apply it directly to the teeth. For very sensitive patients, I also recommend…