Life-Like News
Newsletter • 1st Quarter, 2001
Patient Instructions
A Teacher's Guide
Choices - Give the patient well-informed choices. When considering the percentage of c.p., single or dual-arch whitening, a well-informed patient who is involved in the prescription process has the greatest chance of achieving whitening success. The key is to involve the patients, give them a sense of control and participation. Many of today's health consumers are more discerning, demanding, and capable of playing a larger role in their dental health.
Safety - Let the patient know the procedure is safe and review all safety issues. Explain to the patient this is similar to the hydrogen peroxide with which they wash out their mouth. Let them know that carbamide peroxide has been used to professionally whiten teeth for over a decade and has been proven safe and effective. When using over 15%, talk to the patient about soft tissue exposure and the importance of following instructions to prevent overfilling the tray.
Establish Expectations - Let the patients know what to expect during the process of whitening. Talk to the patients about blotching/hypocalcification and how it will whiten out as they continue the regimen. If you are using 30% and doing Dual-Arch whitening, explain to the patients they will not have the frame of reference but to ask friends and family for reference. Talk to the patients about patient compliance and how to stay with the procedure.
| Demonstrate - Show the patients specifically how to open and seal the seal-syringe. It's important to stress to the patients how important it is to use only 1/4 cc of material. During the demonstration, make the drop into each indentation as small as possible, and repeat three times. Less is best, only use small drops... This helps drive home the point and will stick in their memory. |  |
Document - Take a before picture, using the form in your Rx Kit. Record the initial vita-shade number on your patients' charts.
Recall - Optional - Bring the patient back in one week. By that time, the patient should be seeing results and any issues that might prevent successful whitening can be addressed during this visit.
More Information
Check out these links for further information about these subjects:
- Patient Instructions - Specific patient instructions for syringe delivered and bottled material.
- Patient Q & A - Patient common questions and answers
- How It Works - MorepPatient common questions and answers
Also in this issue:
