Dental Education!
Want to learn more about dental procedures or dentistry in general? We have lots of articles that you can read explaining the A-Z's of dentistry. We are always adding new content. If you don't see a topic you are looking for please visit our contact page and let us know what you would like to see!
Dental Specialties |
General Topics |
Dental Procedures |
|---|---|---|
Teeth Whitening
Your smile is important. It's one of the first things people notice when they meet you. A whiter, brighter smile is beautiful and it can help you feel better about yourself and make a memorable impression.
You can take two approaches to whiten your smile:
- In-office whitening
- At-home bleaching
The method that is best for you depends on several factors, including the health of your teeth and gums, the degree of staining, and the shade of whitening you hope to achieve. Your first step on the teeth whitening path should be a visit your dentist so he or she can help you determine the best method for you.
In-Office Whitening
There are several professional teeth whitening systems used by dentists today including, Zoom!, BriteSmile, and Sapphire. In-office whitening is the quickest method to whiten your teeth and it often take 60-90 minutes. In-office whitening can also achieve the highest levels of whitening, some up to 8 shades whiter. Some dentists will also provide take home whitening trays which you can use from time to time to maintain your new smile. The major downside of professional whitening is that it can cause severe sensitivity lasting 12-18 hours after whitening. The amount of sensitivity varies greatly and depends on your own teeth. Dentists often recommend taking an over the counter pain reliever to help with the sensitivity. Most people believe the benefit is well worth the temporary sensitivity!
Which in-office method is the best for whitening teeth? There is no simple way to compare effectiveness and outcomes of the different methods available. Your individual results will depend on the condition and structure of your teeth and the level of staining.
At-home Whitening
There are a couple of methods available for whitening your teeth at home. Your dentist can make you custom trays or you can use over the counter trays or whitening strips.
Home whitening trays use individual doses of peroxide in syringe form that you inject into the mouth trays and wear them over your teeth for a determined amount of time each day. Great results can be achieved with the gradual whitening. An added bonus of the gradual whitening is that you and your dentist can monitor the progress in order to a specify the shade of whiteness and to minimize sensitivity.
Custom plastic trays made by your dentist are the most effective as they are molded to fit your own teeth. These custom trays are comfortable to wear and also help provide the best whitening agent to tooth contact, which is vital to teeth whitening. Over the counter tray kits are available by several manufactures. These kits contain boil and bite trays or one-size-fits-all trays. These ill-fitting trays tend to be uncomfortable and can irritate the gum and soft tissue by allowing bleaching gel to seep onto the gums. Their effectiveness is also limited because they don't provide the necessary teeth to bleach contact.
Whitening strips are thin, clear strips that are coated with a peroxide-based gel. Whitening clear gels can also be applied with a small brush directly to the surface of the tooth. The strips and gels are usually applied twice daily for 2 weeks.
What about whitening toothpastes? Nearly all major toothpaste manufactures make whitening toothpaste these days. But do they really work? The key to whitening power is the concentration of the agent used and the time the agent is in contact with your teeth. Whitening tooth pastes use very low concentrations of whitening agent and people only brush their teeth for a few minutes. Whitening toothpastes are designed to remove surface stains from your teeth by using special abrasive agents that polish the teeth. The American Dental Association assigns all tooth pastes with a "Relative Dentin Abrasivity" (RDA) number, which is a measure of the abrasiveness of the toothpaste. The higher the RDA number, the more abrasive the toothpaste and the better it is at removing stains. However, too much abrasiveness can damage your teeth!
Most people do not notice any whitening effect after using whitening toothpaste. Whitening toothpastes can lighten your tooth's color by about one shade only. Your dentist can help you find the best whitening solution for your teeth. They may recommend whitening toothpaste used to help maintain your white smile achieved from using an in-office or at-home whitening kit.
Key Points:
- Are your teeth healthy? Your teeth and gums need to be health before you try bleaching them. Bleaching chemicals can cause serious side effects, especially if you have damaged and decayed teeth. Make sure you visit your dentist for a check-up before you start whitening your teeth.
- If you notice that you already have sensitive teeth to hot and cold and are planning to use an at home bleaching kit, look for lower concentrations of peroxide.
- If you plan on using an over-the-counter kit, make sure you have the coordination necessary to make your own trays. If you can't make a good fitting tray, the results you receive from whitening may be disappointing because the key is good contact between the whitening agent and your teeth.
- If your teeth have lots of staining, your best bet might to visit the dentist first so that they can help you decide which whitening method will work best for you. Your teeth might have the types of staining that will not benefit much from whitening. Your dentist can determine which method will work for you before you waste your money on products that won't work!
- If you use at home whitening, make sure the product has the ADA Seal of Approval. Your dentist may also recommend using a fluoride toothpaste or rinse to help strengthen and protect your teeth.