Teeth Whitening

Teeth get stained. That’s a fact of life that we all must come to terms with at some point in time. Teeth are constantly being exposed to various foods, beverages or even cigarettes. All of these things have the potential to discolor the enamel on teeth and diminish the brightness of your smile.

Fortunately there are teeth whitening techniques available today that will help you whiten your teeth and brighten your smile. We will look at some of them in this article.

The first innovation designed to whiten teeth appeared several years ago. These are teeth whitening trays and were available only through a dentist.

The idea was simple; a mold was made of the mouth, or else a ready-made tray was used. The dentist put a bleaching compound or a whitening gel on the tray and it was placed in the mouth. It was worn for at least an hour a day. This allowed the saliva to react with the chemicals to release hydrogen peroxide, a tooth whitener.

As with any teeth whitening method, there are positives and negatives. On the positive side, the results are generally very significant. On the negative side, wearing the tray can be both awkward and uncomfortable. Not only that, but the whitening solution can lead to teeth sensitivity problems.

An even more effective teeth whitening method than tray bleaching is laser whitening. In laser whitening, a whitening gel is applied to the patient’s teeth and then energized with light from a dental laser, speeding up the process considerably. Though highly effective, it is also expensive.

There are several less expensive but effective ways to whiten teeth. Among the best of these teeth whitening methods are whitening strips.

Whitening strips are worn for 1 hour each day and have been shown to whiten teeth substantially. A drawback, however, is that the spaces between the teeth remain unwhitened and become even more noticeable as a result.

Many people prefer teeth whitening gels to other teeth whitening products. They are easily applied and yield quick results. If you decide to try a gel, check the concentration of active ingredient. A higher percentage of peroxide means that you will see results faster. You can apply gels to your teeth using custom fitted trays. Just be careful to protect your gums during the treatment.