The Association of External Cervical Resorption with Modern Internal Bleaching Protocols: What is the Current Evidence?

Internal bleaching is an effective and minimally invasive way of bleaching non-vital teeth. A commonly cited risk associated with it is external cervical resorption (ECR), which is a potentially significant complication that could result in loss of the tooth. This is an important point of discussion with a patient during the consent process. Legally, patients are required to be made aware of material risks to which they would be likely to attach significance, such as the loss of a tooth. The risk of ECR is therefore a key component in the patient's decision-making process as they weigh it against the perceived benefits. Over the last ten years, both clinical and legal reasons have resulted in a number of changes in the materials and protocols used for internal bleaching. This leads to the question of what the current quality of evidence is regarding the association of ECR following internal bleaching with modern protocols. Other restorative options for discoloured teeth, such as veneers or crowns, involve the irreversible removal of tooth tissue and these may be chosen by patients over internal bleaching based on out-of-date evidence.