Teeth Whitening

Teeth Whitening System

Tooth whitening is a process of bleaching the teeth which is stained and dark colored to a whiter one, thus bringing back the shine in the teeth resulting in a beautiful and great smile. The teeth may become dark due to many reasons. These include darkening with age due to enamel becoming less porous, or stains caused by bacterial pigments, tobacco, coffee, tea, wine, smoking and certain medications such as tetracycline. Many teeth whitening systems are on sale in the market. They are healthy, safe and effective. A system which is natural and cheap should be adopted. The two types of teeth whitening systems are described here ñ at home teeth whitening system and the professional teeth whitening system.

One of the effective at-home whitening systems is the whitening gel. It has the ingredient 22% carbamide peroxide. Whitening gels are convenient needing lesser number of applications. Made of high quality ingredients, there is no use of harmful animal byproducts in them. It reduces tooth sensitivity. The formula of many teeth whitening gels is thicker and a high viscosity gel. The gel is retained in thin thermoforming trays, one upper and one lower. These should be worn for 15-30 minutes daily over the teeth. Due to its thickness, the gel stays in place and does not leak from the mouth tray. The gel is ph optimized for a better teeth whitening process. The gel oxidizes the stains to a light color resulting in whiter teeth.

Another option of the professional teeth whitening systems is the laser whitening done from a dentist. In this procedure, the dentist first evaluates the patients tooth shade before the whitening treatment is to begin. Also, a professional dental cleaning should be done. In the next step, the dentist isolates the teeth which are to be whitened through a dental dam. In the next step, eye protection is provided to the patient along with a bib covering. The next step involves the application of the whitening gel to the teeth surface. The next step which is optional involves exposure of the whitener to laser or the activating light. The lights may be halide or halogen or plasma arc lights. The tooth whitener is applied to the teeth for a certain time period, usually 60-90 minutes. After the treatment finishes, the whitener is removed and washed. Dental dam and other devices are also removed. Finally, the dentist reevaluates the tooth shade comparing it to the earlier shade to see the effect of whitening. The last optional step is the fluoride treatment. This reduces thermal sensitivity. The dentist may also recommend at-home bleaching with a teeth whitening system.