Glossary
ACP – Amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) is a chemical technology developed by The American Dental Association Foundation and used as a dental treatment. Calcium and phosphate are natural building blocks of teeth, and when present in insufficient amounts, there can be sensitivity after procedures such as dental bleaching or professional dental cleaning. Amorphous calcium phosphate restores the necessary mineral balance in teeth in an easy and efficient way. [1] ACP can be found in several products such as toothpaste and in certain professional whitening gels.
“At-Home” Whitening – This is the common name for whitening systems or products that are used in the patient’s home, as opposed to taking place in a dentist’s office. There are “professional” at-home whitening products that are dispensed by dentists, but administered at home. It’s always best to discuss your whitening options with a dentist in order to maintain a healthy, white smile.
Bleaching – the process of removing stains or color from teeth by applying chemicals, such as hydrogen peroxide or urea peroxide.
Bleaching Trays – the trays used by dentist’s in the process of bleaching teeth
Chroma – One of the three qualities used to determine the color of teeth in the Munsell shade identification system. Chroma describes the intensity of the underlying color of the tooth and is used in conjunction with hue and value.
Dentin – The main, calcareous part of a tooth, beneath the enamel and surrounding the pulp chamber and root canals.
Enamel – hard white substance covering the crown of a tooth.
Fluorosis – an abnormal condition caused by excessive intake of fluorine, characterized chiefly by mottling of the teeth.
Over-The-Counter (OTC) Whitening – Products that claim to whiten teeth and are available for purchase without a dentist’s recommendation.
Paint-On Whiteners – These are products, mostly gels, that are brushed or painted directly on the teeth. These products are generally available over-the-counter.
Power bleaching – uses light energy to accelerate the process of bleaching in a dental office. The effects of bleaching can last for several months, but may vary depending on the lifestyle of the patient.
Silica – An abrasive ingredient in whitening toothpastes that wears away surface staining. Although silica is widely used, abrasive agents such as calcium carbonate or dicalcium phosphate may be used instead.
Technicolor Teeth – When teeth are whitened, restorations such as bonding, dental crowns or porcelain veneers are not affected by bleach and usually maintain their default color while the surrounding teeth are whitened. This results in what is frequently called “technicolor teeth.” This can also occur when whitening strips or tray do not cover all the teeth and only do partial whitening. Technicolor teeth can result from either in-office or at-home processes; such as too-short whitening strips that fail to cover an adequate span of teeth
Teeth Dehydration – a common side effect with all teeth bleaching treatments. Once dehydrated, the teeth can look whiter. When rehydration happens (usually a few days), the dehydrated teeth relapse to a darker color.
Teeth Undertone – Most people have a slight undertone to their smiles ranging from palest yellow, to palest brown to palest gray. According to the American Dental Association, people who have a yellow undertone have higher degrees of whitening success than people with a brownish undertone. People with gray undertones, however, are generally the least responsive when it comes to bleaching.
Teeth Value – One of the three qualities (hue, chroma and value) used to determine the color of teeth in the Munsell shade identification system. Value is the black/white value of a tooth’s appearance, or how bright it appears to be.
Whitening Strips – Whitening strips are plastic coated strips with active ingredients which can bleach the color of the enamel in teeth.
Whitening Toothpastes – Toothpaste formulations which contain a whitening agent such as carbamide peroxide and an abrasive agent such as silica or baking soda to remove surface stains from teeth and make their appear whiter.