I must confess, I’ve never experienced a zinger, but I’ve been reading about them lately and can state unequivocally that I never want to. Never!
Undoubtedly, you’ve had some of your whitening patients tell you about experiencing sudden, intense unexpected pain. They may have described it as a “lightning bolt” or “electric shock.” For years, little consensus has existed about what causes this type of sensitivity after whitening treatment, but Dr. Rod Kurthy, whitening science expert and creator of Evolve Dental Technologies’ KöR Whitening System, has a theory that’s gaining traction among dental professionals. You can read more on the Kor Whitening resource page, but here’s the short version: Pulp is confined in a nonexpandable rigid space inside the tooth, so the sudden expansion of oxygen bubbles caused by molecular hydrogen peroxide entering the pulp after whitening spikes intrapulpal pressure. This spike deforms the pulpal neuron membranes and causes intense pain throughout the pulp. The pressure then quickly equalizes, the pulpal neurons go back to normal, and the pain is “magically” gone. Zing!
So, the next obvious question is: “How do we deal with this problem, and whitening sensitivity in general?” Evolve Dental Technologies starts at the beginning by refrigerating all of its whitening products from manufacture, through shipping, and then delivery to the dental practice. This adherence to refrigeration stabilizes the whitening gels so they can have the lowest osmolality possible, resulting in minimal intratubular fluid flow and less potential for sensitivity.
Dr. Kurthy also has introduced a unique desensitizer—KöR Complete. Its potassium oxalate formulation bonds to mineralized enamel and peritubular dentin to immediately close dentinal tubules without impacting the effectiveness of the whitening procedure. Your understanding of how oxalate desensitizers usually work may make you wonder about the true effectiveness of this product. Let your concerns be assuaged: Rather than just putting a cork in open tubules, KöR Complete, through chelation, reacts with and actually becomes physically attached to the hydroxyapatite molecules to create calcium oxalate salts that fuse to peritubular hydroxyapatite. The SEMs included here give you a super clear picture of the benefits of this process.
You can help take the zing out of zingers by investing in whitening products engineered to not only provide patients with the esthetic results they desire but also to protect them from the potential adverse effects of the whitening process. Check out this Dental Product Shopper evaluation of the KöR Whitening System to find out what your colleagues have to say about it.
