Case Selection
The ideal candidate for the contrastam system are patients in
generally good health, with natural dentition stained by aging,
tobacco, colas, teas, and coffee. Contrastam is most effective
on yellow and brown stained teeth that have never been whitened
before, but it can be used for whitening all types of stains.
A patient with blue/gray shading , caused by tetracycline, or
other chemical staining, can potentially obtain a lighter shade
after one contrastam treatment. Advise the patient that this
process is a treatment option that can provide good results,
but there are no guarantees of optimal whitening with intrinsic
stains of this nature. This type of staining generally requires
follow-up take-home whitening.
Avoid treating a patient with the contrastam system if he/she
is not free from decay, calculus, or obvious surface stains
that can be removed with a general prophylaxis treatment.
If a patient requires cosmetic restorations to accompany the
whitening process, the dental clinician should wait at least
two weeks after the whitening treatment is complete to determine
the final shade before color matching the restorations.
Provisionals of temporaries made from methyl methacrylate may
discolor and turn bright red while those made from composite
of polycarbonate will not be affected.
Whitening is not recommended for pregnant or nursing women.
Patients with a strong gag reflex or anxiety may not be able
to endure the entire whitening treatment with the retractor
in place. Test the patient's ability to wear the retractor,
before scheduling the appointment.
| Note: Be sure
to inform the patient that the contrastam system will
not lighten porcelain, composite or any other restorative
material. Additionally, some previously color-matched
restorative/cosmetic appliances may need to be replaced
to match the lighter, more natural-looking tooth shade
obtained by this procedure. |
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