Teeth Whitening

It would be safe to say the most people would prefer to have whiter teeth which is generally considered to be more attractive than yellow teeth. We all know that there are certain things you can avoid to keep your teeth whiter such as smoking cigarettes and drinking red wine or coffee. However, even if you are able to do these things, there are still many other factors that can make your teeth stained over time. Usually these factors are out of our control.

There are two major types of teeth stains. The first are called extrinsic stains. These are the stains that form on your tooth’s surface. Extrinsic stains usually come from long-term consumption or usage of things like tea, coffee, red wine or tobacco. Sometimes, simply brushing your teeth can get rid of these stains but they often require teeth whitening treatments.

The other type of teeth stains are called intrinsic stains. These are the stains that form within your tooth’s interior caused by things like over-usage of fluoride, aging, trauma, etc. These are more difficult to get rid of than extrinsic stains. There are methods that work, but they take much longer.

The good news is that today’s era provides us with several affordable options for teeth whitening. This includes effective products on the marketplace which you can use for teeth whitening in your own home as well as affordable in-office teeth whitening procedures that your dentist can perform. Let’s take a look.

If you want to whiten your teeth in your own home, there are teeth whitening versions of everyday products like toothpastes and gum which you can purchase. There are also products like whitening gels, strips and polish which are used to remove stains from the surface of your teeth. It is important to note that these are not as effective as in office methods. If these in-home products don’t work, it probably means that the stains on your teeth are too deep. If that is the case, you should have your dentist perform some the following teeth whitening procedures…

Laser teeth whitening

This is the most recent form of tooth whitening and is quickly becoming more popular. This procedure is generally done by a special dentist called a “cosmetic dentist.” How it works is that a certain whitening gel is used and lasers will activate the bleaching elements within the gel. The only known side effect to this procedure is that it can make the patient’s teeth more sensitive to cold and hot. The laser method is the most expensive tooth whitening procedure, however, it is also considered the most effective and quickest for removing the deepest stains.

Bleaching your teeth

Standard bleaching is the most common in-office procedure used for tooth whitening. This can be done by your regular dentist. In this method, a bleaching agent is used and the bleaching elements within are activated by the use of heat. This is less expensive than the laser procedure but does not always work as well on heavy stains.

In office procedures will always be more expensive than purchasing home whitening products, but they are definitely quicker and more effective. If you don’t want to have these procedures done, you can also ask your dentist for a special teeth whitening kit which they will often have in the office. These kits are less expensive than the in-office procedures and but are more effective than the products you can purchase in the stores. It similar to the notion of prescription drugs vs. over the counter medicine.