Teeth Whitening

White teeth are a desired aspect for most Americans.  Vast amounts of time and money are expended in achieving this trait.  Tooth whiting can be achieved in two basic ways, a visit to a professional dental clinic, or by purchasing a tooth whiting kit at your pharmacy.

The major difference between these two methods is the active chemical involved, and therefore the outcome as well.  At home kits utilize a carbamide peroxide where dentists will use a much more powerful hydrogen peroxide under close supervision.

It is important to understand why your teeth are stained in the first place.  Several habits can change the whiteness of a patient’s teeth.  Coffee, tea, tobacco use, and grinding can all cause a color change in teeth.  Internal tooth color, different in all humans, emerges with age, and can have an effect on tooth color as years pass.  This discoloration is called intrinsic staining.  Extrinsic staining is more easily avoided.  Dark colored foods, liquids, and tobacco will all prove detrimental to a tooth’s whiteness, as do inherent genetic properties.

Some improvement will always occur, but complete regeneration cannot be fully expected.  Age and exposure to stains will determine the level of success that can be expected.  A dentist will be able to inform the patient to what expectations should be prior to embarking upon a whitening journey.

A professional teeth whitening will generally take less than twenty minutes.  Using guards to protect the patient’s gums, a peroxide gel is applied and within a few minutes, the gel has worked and the process will be complete.  Usually the patient will be sent home with a touch up kit to address any spots that may still be present.  It is important that avoid tobacco, tea or coffee, or drinking with a straw for seventy two hours following the procedure.

Though take home kits are convenient, economical, and do not require a trip to the dentist, there are some fall backs.  The week long process takes dedication and does not provide either the strength or expediency of a professional whitening.