Tooth Whitening - What would you do?

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Having a great smile tells a lot about a person. It is one thing that everyone wants, but not everybody has. It can be the one tool that can bring you closer to friends and colleagues. This is the reason that people feel insecure about showing their smiles when there is a presence of brown or yellow stains on a persons tooth. Fortunately, there is a safe way to take of this dental hygiene situation. The dental procedure of teeth whitening is the answer.

Being performed more and more in the cosmetic dentistry field; it is becoming a very popular procedure among dental patients. The reversing of the discoloration of the teeth was the initial design of the procedure. While aging is the main reason that people's teeth become discolored, there are many other reasons that can cause a discoloration of the teeth. The regular drinking of coffee, soda, and tea as well as antibiotic use and tobacco aid in tooth discoloration. For the person that wants to obtain a teeth whitener, there are numerous options to choose from. Chemical whitening, abrasive teeth whitening, laser teeth whitening and mild acid whitening are among some of the options. You should always consult your dentist before you choose a teeth whitening technique of your own due to any draw backs that can happen from using a certain type of teeth whitening technique.

Professional Whitening

When you have your teeth whitening procedure performed by your dentists then it is referred as in office bleaching. The in office procedure performed by applying a bleaching agent to the patients teeth. The key ingredient is hydrogen peroxide that is added into the bleaching agent whitener. Using a laser or light source the hydrogen peroxide inside the bleaching agent is activated by the dentist. When this is done, the result is a breaking down of the hydrogen peroxide into a water state and a radical. While in this water state the stain molecules on the teeth become attached with the radical. When the radicals become attached to the molecules, the molecules become weak. Oxygen is now able to reach the tooth enamel and whiten the tooth.

Home Teeth Whitening Options

When you choose to use do-it-yourself teeth whitening techniques it is referred to as at-home bleaching. You can undergo this procedure by obtaining a solution with a peroxide base from your pharmacist or your dentist. The contents of this base include a mouth guard and a Carbamide Peroxide gel. The patient then adds the gel to the mouth guard and inserts into the mouth. The duration of application and frequency can vary with each different at-home bleaching product. The principle behind the at-home bleaching is similar to the in-office procedure as far as the oxidation is concerned. The two main differences are that instead of hydrogen peroxide, the Carbamide peroxide is used in the bleaching agent.

The use of whitening toothpaste is another option for teeth whitening techniques. Polishing agents are used rather than peroxides as these agents can penetrate deeper than regular toothpastes to polish the enamel of the tooth.

Disadvantages?

Teeth whitening isn't for everybody. There can be a negative impact to the teeth's aesthetic appearance if used by someone who has tooth colored fillings. Some other disadvantages of teeth whitening can be sore gums. This is generally caused by discontinuing your scheduled bleaching. Also you may need to have veneers or crowns in cases where teeth discoloration is serious. When using at-home bleaching some people discover that the mouth guard doesn't fit the shape of their teeth. In these situations you should consult Your dentist.