Teeth Bleaching and Whitening

In the oral healthcare market of today, home teeth whitening systems have become a leading industry. Whitening chewing gum alone is reckoned to make a staggering 17 million dollars per annum in gross sales, and that is just for one brand name. When you include several other products such as brushed on bleaching gels, whitening toothpastes and whitening strips, it is easy to see just how large and lucrative the market has grown into. Oral care as we know it today, has not always been that way though and is far removed from its rather humble origins. The lengths which some folk would go to in the past just to get a natural smile can make you very appreciative of the modern-day conveniences that we take for granted nowadays.

These days, we all know that brushing our teeth daily or after meals is the 1st step in home teeth whitening. To do that, we turn to our dependable toothbrush to get rid of any surface buildup on our teeth. Everyone has a toothbrush readily available but what would you do if you could not find yours. You would venture outside into your front or back yard naturally and find yourself a suitable twig. Hundreds of years ago, folk would actually chew on sprigs in order to clean their teeth. After that, some clever individual, way back in history, had the bright idea of fashioning a piece of wood and adding boar bristle to the end of it. And so the toothbrush was born although the thought of having a mouthful of pig hairs first thing in the morning is not too appealing.

The need to have whiter teeth is by no means the latest fashion craze because it has been around for many years. Hundreds of years ago, the local barbers shop would also be the place to go if you needed anything done to your teeth. To give you the brilliant white teeth that you desired, the barber come dentist would file the tooth surface down and then apply a Nitric Acid solution. While this process would certainly work in the short term, the teeth would start crumbling quickly because of the lack of tooth enamel protection that would be destroyed by the process.

Consider that fresh minty taste of your toothpaste. Most whitening toothpastes nowadays contain bicarbonate of soda as an active element and it is still popular practice among some folks to brush their teeth with neat baking soda right out of the package. However, If you do not fancy the taste sensation of bicarbonate of soda in your mouth, you may be better off sticking with toothpaste. Back in the 1800’s, that may not have been such good advice since urine was a common ingredient in toothpaste at that time.

The best home dental whitening system begins with proper tooth care. You do need to brush every day and floss regularly. Frequent check-ups at the dentist can assist in keeping your teeth healthy and your gums in great shape. You do not want to brush your teeth with pure bleach. You may ,in addition, want to skip tobacco products, red wine and beverages such as tea, coffee or soda. All of those stain the enamel over time. If whiter teeth seem too much trouble, then look at how far people had to go in the past to have dazzling white teeth.

Teeth whitening procedures could be dangerous to your health?

Most people are concerned about making their teeth white but how many of those are ever thought about the potential danger in teeth whitening procedures. Your mouth tissue and teeth could potentially be at risk.

The potential danger is within control and could be minimized but still you need to know about it.

3 Potential Dangers in Whitening Your Teeth

1) For those people who have sensitive gums and soft mouth tissue, they could respond negatively to the chemicals solutions such as carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide that are normally used in tooth whitening procedures.

Special precaution should be taken if you try to apply these chemicals by yourself at home. Make sure that none of the chemicals come in contact with any mouth tissue except your teeth.

The risk is minimized if you get the dental professional to do the work. The dentist have the professional tools to safeguard your teeth and prevent other mouth tissues from come in contact with the chemicals used.

Some teeth whitening home kits do provide some protection tools such as mouth guard. Since this mouth guard is one size fits all so it may not work very well with everyone. It may fit some people perfectly but may not fit others well.

2) Chemical used in teeth whitening could also affect people who have sensitive teeth after the treatment. This reaction is normally very noticeable when eating food while they too are hot or too cold such as ice cream.

3) The chemicals used (carbamide peroxide and hydrogen peroxide) in the whitening procedures could also be potentially dangerous if swallowed. Some people will have a reaction of stomach upset, nausea and vomiting.

Some case studies have shown that the use of hydrogen peroxide for teeth whitening has been associated with the development of tongue cancer. While there is no conclusive or large enough sampling to quantify the claims but there is something to be aware off.

With so many commercial brands in the market, searching for the best teeth whitening products can be somewhat of a challenge. Although teeth whitening treatment is a cosmetic procedure, it can be seen as a necessary one as it can affect your personal life and even career. For those in the service profession, personal appearance is especially important for creating a favorable first impression.

Because results are fast and often satisfactory with little pain or discomfort, many are willing to pay the high cost of laser teeth whitening. Home teeth whitening systems are availabe for those on a budget. However these products can be a little troublesome for many as the gel has to be applied over several days in order for the whitening process to work.

For light stains and discoloration, home DIY kits offer a viable solution that can be effective and less costly in the long run as they provide a cheap teeth whitening solution. Teeth whitening strips or dental trays are just some of the various forms of packaging that whitening gels come in. Whitening gels are now available in pen formats that are convenient to use as and when you want.

There are some intensive home teeth whitening systems that are commercially available such as Opalescence. This hydrogen peroxide based treatment requires the mixture from two containers to be left on overnight to work.

Over the counter kits may be unable to achieve the whiteness that professional treatment can reach.

In such cases, going for laser teeth whitening would be best. Teeth discoloration is removed by a laser light that activates the bleaching agent which penetrates teeth to stimulate color change. A few sessions may be needed to get the desired shade of teeth whiteness which can lead to much higher teeth whitening cost.

After laser teeth whitening, try and maintain the results by using a whitening toothpaste that contains a bleaching agent. However, stains will return over time as food and drink consumption will cause teeth stains. It’s well known that coffee and tea have strong staining effects. Teeth stains appear rapidly for those who smoke. To reduce and delay teeth stains, avoid these types of food and drink.

For those who want their teeth to appear perfect, veneers will give that result. Very thin porcelain veneers are bonded onto the front of teeth in this expensive procedure that is normally carried out for chipped or misalign teeth. It is also used for teeth that have severe stains.

There are disadvantages with veneers. Broken veneers cannot be repaired. Also, having veneers bonded onto teeth requires that a minimal but noticeable amount of teeth enamel to be trimmed to fit the veneer. To keep the natural looking shape, teeth that have been fitted with veneers will always have to have veneers. Therefore, costs can become very high over the years.

Given all the pros and cons of each procedure plus teeth whitening cost, it is best to be fully informed as to what each entails so that you know what to expect during and after each teeth whitening treatment.

There are numerous teeth whitening systems to select from nowadays, they can range from the at home types of procedures that you can leave on and then go about your daily activities all the way up to laser teeth whitening systems.

So you ask yourself; which teeth whitening system should I use? Well, that really depends on various factors, each individual will discover their own method that will work best for them. Actually, even the use of of an at home teeth whitening system that you purchase over the counter can provide you with a similar result as a visit to your local dentist.

Time and Cost as Factors

Two of the factors to take into consideration when selecting which teeth whitening system to use are cost and time. If you have a highly busy schedule and because of this would be unable to follow the directions of an at home tooth whitening system that need you to use it for several hours or more over a time period of a few days or even weeks, then in that case you are better off taking a trip to your dentist and letting him take care of it.

This way you will only have to go a few times and in some cases only once to have your teeth whitened. Bear in mind of course that the convenience of acquiring such results so rapidly goes with extra cost. Nonetheless if you have a big event happening then a professional teeth whitening system is worth investing in to look your best.

Potential Side Effects

There are some side effects to professional teeth whitening systems, even though they are typically minimal, you might want to look into them prior to going forward with this type of treatment. The chemicals that make up these teeth whitening procedures are caustic and may cause you irritation to your cheeks, gums and even to your lips if it comes in contact with anything other than the teeth that it is intended for.

Dentists will make certain that your mouth is thoroughly protected while the procedure is taking place through the use of a dental dam. After the procedure is completed you might feel some degree of sensitivity to cold as well as hot foods and drinks where in the past you did not have this sensation. After a few days has passed the sensitivity should go away.

To make any discomfort that you experience while eating or drinking you can use a toothpaste that is meant for individuals with sensitive teeth. You should also inquire with your dentist to have a fluoride treatment done after your teeth whitening to minimize this type of side effect.

You should not take aspirin or even ibuprofen or any other type of anti-inflammatory medicine before your teeth whitening procedure without initially consulting with your personal dentist. Various dentists have differing opinions in regards to this and you should make certain that it is permissible to do something like this before taking any medicine.

Whether it is to improve self esteem, make you look more attractive to others or simply to keep up with the Jones’s, teeth whitening is certainly all the craze today.  Movie stars have sparkling white teeth; many reality stars have them and so do virtually all television personalities (news, sportscaster’s, talk show hosts and so on).  Like those waif-looking beauties strutting down the modeling runways, these enamel glistening posers must all be seeing the dentist to the stars, or are they?  I mean who has such perfect teeth?  Hollywood stars are known for their cigarette smoking, coffee drinking and of course, frequent visits to rehab.  Don’t all of these things stain their teeth? 

Sure they do, but they also sought professional dental help to restore their pearly whites to their natural shine.  These celebrities do not rely on the over-the-counter remedies we all see on TV and in the grocery store.  They get theirs done right by a professional.
We too all want glistening white teeth but many of us don’t feel like bothering with the process, are deterred by the cost or simply don’t know how to go about realizing the best results.  But one thing is for sure…beautifully white teeth will make us feel better and look better.  There is no doubt about it.

Graying or yellowing teeth are the result of damage to the pigmentation of your teeth.  With the proper treatment, you can restore your teeth to their natural shine but you must first choose the process that is best for you. 

The two most effective approaches to teeth whitening are in-office laser treatment and at-home teeth whitening with custom-fit trays designed by your dentist.  Most over the counter remedies will work to some degree but will not guarantee the same level of results these professional treatments will. Over-the-counter approaches will likely lighten your teeth by three to five shades while professional treatments will improve pigmentation by 10 shades or more.

A good ballpark price range for the in-office laser teeth whitening treatment is somewhere between $400-$900 for both the top and bottom teeth.  However, in many cases, more than one treatment will be necessary for the best results and your dentist may recommend you follow up this treatment with a custom-tray at-home remedy prescribed by them.  This will obviously add more cost to your bottom line. 

Putting the premium pricing aside, the biggest advantage to professional treatments is the immediacy and duration of the effect.  With the laser treatment, you will see full results as soon as the procedure is finished, and with at-home custom-fit trays, your dentist has given you professional-grade bleaching gel to keep your teeth white for a long time to come.

While teeth whitening products may or may not be something you are considering right now, some things are for sure when you do decide to take the plunge:

·    You will feel more confident
·    You will look more attractive
·    People won’t be turned off by your graying/yellowing smile any longer

The approach is much cheaper and less intrusive than other cosmetic surgeries like liposuction, face lifts and tummy tucks

There is no pain involved

It is completely safe

There’s something about a great smile. Especially a great smile that shows off beautiful white teeth. A bright white smile says “healthy”, and admit it, people with  beautiful white teeth somehow just look happier and more attractive. A whiter smile can make a person more confident and outgoing in social situations. Unfortunately most of us don’t have as great a smile that we could. Years of drinking dark colored beverages such as coffee, tea, soda, and red wine, smoking, and aging take their toll on the color of tooth enamel. The great news is that today anyone can have a dazzling white smile.

Teeth whitening has become the most common form of cosmetic dentistry performed over the last few years. It’s a very simple and fairly inexpensive way to greatly improve your smile. There are several ways to whiten your teeth depending on the amount of money you want to spend, and your level of patience. You can choose from tooth whitening gels and whitening toothpaste, bleaching strips, bleaching gel with a fitted mouth tray, or laser teeth whitening. Laser teeth whitening is sometimes called in-office bleaching. Of all these different types of alternatives laser teeth whitening is the fastest way to a white smile, it’s also the most expensive. A one hour teeth whitening session generally runs around $600.00.

Laser teeth whitening is considered the top of the line treatment and takes about one hour. The dentist applies a bleach solvent containing hydrogen peroxide to the teeth. You will find that hydrogen peroxide is found in all teeth whitening products. The higher the amount of hydrogen peroxide the faster the tooth whitening will take place. Once the bleach is on the teeth the teeth are subjected to a light source, usually a laser. This laser activates the hydrogen peroxide. This application is left on your teeth for twenty minutes. This process is then repeated two more times before you are done.

Of course, the results you receive from any tooth whitening system will fade over time. Trying to avoid dark colored drinks and not smoking will help you enjoy the results for a longer peroid of time.