My gums felt strange yesterday during the Zoom whitening procedure I had done. They kind of tingled a little, bit but it wasn’t too bad. When I told the dental assistant, she kind of adjusted something but didn’t say anything else about it. The tingling kept happening. Again, it was never painful, but it was noticeable. Well, at home overnight my gums hurt really bad. The annoying pain kept me up during the night and then in the morning I am noticing they look puffy. They also have white in them in places, almost like a little blister. No one told me I would be in pain! Do I need to go back into the dentist? What’s happening?

– Diane in Maryland

Diane,

Sorry that you are having to go through this. Based on the symptoms you have described, it sounds like you had a reaction to the Zoom whitening agent. Most dental offices will be very careful to prevent this from happening when they protect your gums. But every once in awhile, the gums can be exposed and the white blister you are describing sounds like you have experienced a chemical burn. This sounds frightening, and although very uncomfortable, it is typically a minor issue.

The gums will heal from a burn similarly to other parts of the body. For example, the blister may peel and then after a week or two, the skin should be healed.

If it continues to be bothersome, feel free to take Ibuprofen and be very careful while eating and brushing your teeth. You don’t want to further irritate that area of the gums. It would be wise to call into the dentist office to see if he or she has any other recommendations or precautions. At the very least, if you were sent home with teeth whitening trays, you will not want to use those until the area has completely healed. A warm, salt rinse will help aid the healing of the gum tissue and prevent infection.

Again, feel free to contact the office so they are aware of the situation. But you shouldn’t have to go back in unless the area is not healing after 5-7 days. Sorry to hear you had a negative experience with Zoom.