In today’s fast moving world we may not always realize how many things affect the whiteness of our teeth. Most people know that our teeth will yellow some with age, but many other things can accelerate that process.;
- Foods, such as acidic or citric foods
- Dark beverages, such as many people’s favorites; coffee & tea
- Sweets
- Carbonated soda such as colas
- Believe it or not, healthy berries can leave stains
- Red & white wine
- And of course, smoking.
Some things on the list probably surprised you….sweets, white wine? That’s right! Both colors of wine can stain your teeth! Since there are so many things that can affect the whiteness of your teeth, no wonder general dentistry practices are adding teeth whitening as a common service.
You can go to almost any pharmacy or search online and find at home teeth whitening options and some probably do make a difference. However, you can be sure that these treatments are not as affective, or as safe as the treatments you can get from your dentist. And don’t forget the saying “you get what you pay for”, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
Since you have probably looked into some of the at home treatments you should have a good basis for comparing the cost, convenience and risk between them and the professional treatments from a dentist.
In generally, there are two important things that the dentist can change to perform the different types of teeth whitening procedures: they can adjust the concentration of the oxygenating agent (the bleaching gel) and the method used to apply it. There are two main methods that the whitening solution is applied to the teeth, a custom tooth tray, or a laser whitening system.
The tray based method is when the custom oxygenating gel is placed in a specially made tooth tray that is generally worn at night 10-14 days. Keep in mind that this tooth tray is made especially for your mouth, allowing the gel to reach all the nooks and crannies in the correct concentration.
The laser whitening or power bleaching method is much more concentrated than the tray system and the procedure is made more effective by using heat or light. Power bleaching can leave your teeth a bit sensitive but it leaves you with much quicker results. Often patients still use the tray method afterword to ensure the maintenance of their new white smile. If you are looking for immediate results and are not bothered by the risk of sensitivity, then this would be your best choice.
Check with your dentist, research the cost and convenience of the options they offer. Your dentist will also want to be up to date on your general health as some health conditions can affect the ultimate results. Even some medications have teeth yellowing as a side effect and the whitening procedure might be a waste of time and money for you.
Now you have more information about teeth whitening and the options, whichever option you choose remember to take extra care of that white smile!
Author Bio:
Angelique has enjoyed using her talent to research and write articles for various industries and clients. Angelique enjoys putting her skills to use helping a client populate their website, or write specialized posts and articles.
