Teeth Whitening

Teeth whitening is used to remove any stains or discoloration from your teeth. There are many techniques that fall in this category – chemical whitening, mild acid whitening, abrasive teeth whitening and laser teeth whitening. You don’t necessarily have to visit a dentist to get your teeth whitened because there are products on the shelves of most pharmacies that you can use at home. You can put on strips each might to whiten your teeth, paint a polish on them, or use solutions in trays for a specific amount of time each night. Even if you visit the dentist to have the procedure done, you will still be able to take the tray and the solution home to use each night. This saves you the trouble of multiple visits to the doctor’s office.

The dentist will first take an impression of your teeth. This impression is used to create a mold to hold the whitening solution. This is an important part of the process because the tray has to be able to hold just the right amount of the bleaching solution you need. It also ensures that all of your teeth are exposed to the solution. Once this is done, the dentist will show you how to perform the procedure at home and will have you practice in the office. You take the tray and the solution home with you and follow the doctor’s orders to whiten your teeth about 5 or 6 shades lighter. It may take six weeks or more for you to accomplish this. You will have to return to the dentist after two or three weeks to make sure that everything id all right and that you are not harming your gums.

Teeth whitening is not permanent. It typically lasts for one or two years and then you have the procedure done again. In order to go through the procedure, you need to have any cavities filled and you have to have healthy gums.

There are several different teeth whitening system you can use, if you prefer to have the dentist with you during each step of the process:

During an in-office laser teeth whitening procedure, the dentist applies a translucent bleaching gel to the teeth and uses a special activating light to cause the crystals to absorb the light energy and penetrate the enamel on the teeth to increase the lightening effect. Two hours at a time is common for this treatment, but the length of the visit varies according to the amount of discoloration. You only need to make one visit to the dentist and it usually costs about $600. One disadvantage is that others will instantly notice the change in the color of your teeth.

People like to have a whiter brighter smile to improve their appearance. It also gives the impression of a healthy lifestyle. White teeth help to minimize the effect of wrinkles on the face and give you a more youthful look.

There are also disadvantages to having your teeth whitened:

Your gums may become sore or irritated from either the tray or the solution used in the whitening process. This is usually only short term and will go away after a while. Before you start the procedure, though, you should ask your dentist to test you to see if you may be sensitive to the chemicals. If the tray hurts your mouth with the at home treatment, you should inform the dentist so that minor adjustments can help it to fit better.

Bleaching is usually the first choice because it is the least expensive. However, it does not work for everyone, especially if the teeth are badly discolored. In these cases, alternative treatments should be considered.