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Teeth Whitening  Everybody loves a bright white smile, and there are a variety of products and procedures available to help you improve the look of yours. Some people have teeth that are naturally darker due to genetics or some medication use during early childhood. But even in people born with bright teeth, as teeth age, they accumulate stains and become darker. Smoking, drinking coffee, tea, or red wine will contribute to teeth darkening faster. Surface stains can be removed easily by the dentist or hygienist during your regular cleanings, deeper stains tho will require what most people refer to as "teeth bleaching".Finding the best treatment for youSchedule a visit with your dentist to learn whether whitening procedures would be effective for you. Whiteners do not correct all types of discoloration. For example, yellowish teeth will probably bleach well, brownish teeth may bleach less well, and grayish teeth may not bleach well at all. Likewise, whitening may not enhance your smile if you have had tooth-colored fillings or crowns. The whitener will not affect the color of these materials and they will stand out in your newly whitened smile. In these cases, you do have other options, such as porcelain veneers or replacing some of the old dental restorations to match your new bright smile. If any of the teeth has a cavity or decay, it should be fixed before whitening, since applying the bleach to a tooth that has a cavity can cause extreme sensitivity.Tooth Whitening Treatments
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1. Professional In-Office Teeth WhiteningProfessional teeth whitening by your doctor is your best choice when you need immediate whitening results. This procedure is called chair side bleaching and may require more than one office visit. Each visit may take from sixty to ninety minutes. During chair side bleaching, the dentist will apply either a protective gel to your gums or a rubber shield to protect the oral soft tissues. A very concentrated whitening agent is then applied to the teeth. Some whitening gels are self activated and some require a special light to activate the agent, either way, they are both equally effective.2. Professional At-Home Whitening SystemThese products contain peroxide(s) which actually bleach the tooth enamel. One of too whitening agents are used at different concentrations: Carbamide Peroxide at 10%, 16%, 22% or 30%. Or Hydrogen Peroxide at 3%, 6% or 9%. Hydrogen Peroxide is at least 3 times more active than Carbamide Peroxide, hence lower concentration is used. Peroxide-containing whiteners typically come in a gel and are placed in a custom made thin plastic tray to hold it against the teeth precisely. Usage regimens vary, depending on the desired outcome, level of natural teeth sensitivity and other factors. Generally, longer application time (overnight) requires less concentration and gives the best results. Overly sensitive teeth may require shorter application time (1-2 hours) and be done 1-2 times a day. Teeth sensitivity is the most common side effect, but there are ways to manage it and minimize it by applying desensitizers and selecting the right whitening regimen for each individual patient. It generally subsides within a few days of discontinuation of treatment anyway.3. Over-The-Counter Whitening SystemsTeeth Whitening StripsTeeth whitening strips are thin, flexible plastic (polyethylene) strips with a thin film of hydrogen peroxide bleaching on one side. Whitening strip kits come with two types of strips: strips for the upper teeth and strips for the lower teeth. The bleaching agent is applied by placing the strips across your teeth and gently pressing the strips into place to ensure contact with all your teeth. Teeth whitening strips are typically worn for 30 minutes a day, twice a day. The duration of treatment will vary. Of all the over-the-counter systems, they tend to work best. Their drawback is the difficalty in adaption of the strips to the teeth, gum irritation and the short duration of the treatment. Paint-On Teeth Whitening Paint-on teeth whitening allows you to apply a bleaching agent directly to your teeth without an appliance or strip. You simply "paint" the whitener onto the surface of clean, dry teeth and wait about 30 minutes while the paint turns to a dry film. To remove this film, you simply brush your teeth with a toothbrush. Paint-on whitening products require twice-daily applications to be effective. The duration of treatment will vary. An advantage in this process is that you can selectively paint individual teeth. Their drawback is that most of the time the gel washes off too quickly to allow enough time of it to be effective. 4. Whitening Toothpaste and RinseAll toothpastes help remove surface stain from your teeth through the action of mild abrasives. Whitening toothpastes have special chemical or polishing agents that provide additional stain removal effectiveness or some diluted bleaching agent. Whitening rinses contain similar very lightly diluted bleaching agent. Due to a very limited time of application and the very low concentration of whitening agents, Neither of these options is effective at whitening deeper stains. They are better suited to maintain a white smile than to achieve one.Teeth whitening can have minor side effects and you should speak with your doctor if these become bothersome. For example, teeth can become sensitive during the period when you are using the bleaching solution. In most cases, this sensitivity is temporary and should lessen once the treatment is finished. Some people also experience soft tissue irritation, either from a tray that doesn't fit properly or from solution that may come in contact with the tissues. If you have concerns about such side effects, you should discuss them with the doctor. Generally, choosing a professional whitening option allow for a better control of these side effects. The Most effective approach to achieve a drastically white smile is combining the Professional In-Office and At-Home systems. This is usually reserved for extremely dark teeth, Tetracycline-stained teeth or patients requiring a very noticeably white smile. For more information about this option, you may look up Kor Deep Bleaching System, or contact our office and we will be happy to give you more information. |