Dazzle In-Office Tooth Whitening System

Ease of Use

Dazzle’s photochemical activation reduces procedure time and eliminates the need for specialized lamp equipment. A change in color, from intense orange to tones of white, signals the dentist that full activation has been achieved.

Of the 10 dentists who evaluated the system, 3 rated ease of use as excellent, 3 rated it as very good, and 4 rated it as good. One dentist mentioned a learning curve related to “how thick to place material to cure properly.” Another evaluator also mentioned a learning curve “as with any new product,” adding, “Certainly, after the first 2 procedures it all got much easier.” A Chicago dentist said he “would prefer not to do mixing,” and the dentist who found it “difficult to remove the foil covering the liquid (an instrument was always needed)” cited the gel’s consistency as the feature he liked best, noting that it “allowed for easy placement.” Two evaluators called the manufacturer’s Web site and instructional video “informative” and “well presented.”

When asked what they liked best about Dazzle, 2 dentists cited the color change and 3 cited ease of use and/or efficiency. Of the 2 dentists who said their favorite feature was the lack of need for a lamp/large light, 1 said this made the system “easier to set up” and the other noted that he “didn’t need all the barriers.”

Procedure Time and Results

Activation of Dazzle’s 29.5% hydrogen peroxide (final concentration in active gel) formulation is accelerated by photochemical mediators that efficiently absorb light energy from various curing lights, significantly shortening the bleaching process. Time to activation was rated as excellent by 2 evaluators, as very good by 5, as good by 2, and as fair by 1.

When asked to evaluate time to achieve desired whitening, 3 evaluators rated it as excellent, 6 rated it as very good to good, and 1 rated it as fair. Two dentists cited the need to cure each tooth as a feature that could be improved. One evaluator “would like to see some improvement in the time to achieve the desired whitening result.” A New Jersey dentist commented on the “lack of downtime… you need to be constantly chairside to be applying and curing.” This same evaluator went on to add that “the overall time is, however, much quicker.”

When asked to evaluate clinician satisfaction with whitening, 4 evaluators rated it as excellent, 2 rated it as very good, and 4 rated it as good.

Patient Satisfaction (Comfort and Results)

Sensitivity associated with whitening is most often attributed to tooth dehydration. ¹ The manufacturer states that because the teeth stay hydrated during whitening with Dazzle, patients experience no pain, sensitivity, or rebound.

Reduced sensitivity was rated as excellent by 2 evaluators, as very good by 6, and as good to fair by 2. Patient satisfaction with the whitening result, cited by 1 evaluator as the feature he liked most, was rated as excellent by 4 dentists and as very good to good by 6. One evaluator said, “What I liked most was patient comfort during preparation, whitening, and afterward. As of now, there are no reports of post-treatment sensitivity.” “The results were pleasing to the patients, and there was no sensitivity experienced by any of the patients treated,” said another evaluator.

Overall Satisfaction

Overall satisfaction was rated as excellent by 5 evaluators, as very good by 4, and as good by 1. All 10 dentists said they would definitely or probably recommend Dazzle to colleagues, and 9 said they would definitely or probably purchase it. One dentist noted, “With its ease of use, it’s likely that a lower fee can be charged…certainly a strong selling point.”

Reference

1. Kugel G, Ferreira S. The art and science of tooth whitening. J Mass Dent Soc. 2005;53:34-37.