Is Bleaching the Best Method of Home Teeth Whitening?
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| the Best Method of Home Teeth Whitening |
The Most Effective Way to Whiten Teeth at Home
Teeth whitening is more than a trend; it's a multibillion-dollar industry, with more than 10 million Americans spending more than $2 billion this year. Teeth whitening is by far the most popular cosmetic service given by dentists in the United States, and sales of mail-order and over-the-counter products have exploded.
Is it, however, truly possible to have pearly white teeth? Is it safe to whiten your teeth? Is it painful? What is the most effective method? Is it possible to do it at home? These are all extremely typical queries, and the solutions are generally as follows: Yes, Yes, Yes Normally, no (arguably) Yes, there is bleaching.
Whiter teeth can be done in a variety of ways, including at your dentist's office (or a professional teeth whitening facility) and at home. In fact, many dentists will administer the initial one or two treatments and then outfit you with everything you need to do the remainder at home. But that only applies to ‘bleaching' treatments; there are other options for whitening your teeth that include structural alterations to your teeth, such as ‘bonding' and ‘porcelain veneers.'
The purpose of all bleach-based teeth whitening remedies is to penetrate deep into your tooth enamel and remove stains. Because dental enamel is porous, brushing and scouring procedures are ineffective, necessitating the use of bleach-based teeth whitening products. The most efficient procedures, as you can see, rely on bleaching chemicals to penetrate deep into the enamel. They cause an oxidizing reaction in the enamel, which breaks down the coloring chemicals and leaves you with sparkling white teeth. Although it may appear straightforward, many items on the market fail to deliver on their promises. The majority of over-the-counter products only whiten teeth significantly, however more professional products can drastically transform the color of your teeth.
A whitening toothpaste is an entry-level teeth whitening product. Some people have reported a modest improvement in brightness, but because toothpaste isn't normally exposed to your teeth for lengthy periods of time (you just brush for a few minutes), it can't penetrate deep enough to make much of an effect. Some toothpastes include very strong chemicals that are designed to operate rapidly (because to the short amount of time they are exposed to your teeth), and instead of penetrating the enamel and oxidizing/cleaning the stains, they can actually act as an abrasive and etch away the enamel.
The whitening strips are next in line. Whitening Strips are thin, flexible strips of plastic that have had a tiny layer of hydrogen-peroxide bleach applied to one side (normally 6-10 percent strength). They are worn for 30 minutes (twice daily) for 7-14 days and are pushed against the top and bottom teeth. They work, but because they can't reach all of the nooks and crannies and gaps between teeth, the results can be blotchy and less appealing than desired.
Getting more serious, we have bleach-based tooth whitening solutions, which require placing a tray in your mouth with a ‘bleaching' solution injected into it (hydrogen peroxide). This technique can be carried out at home, by your dentist, or a mix of both. Over-the-counter ‘boil and bite' trays are inexpensive and practically ready to use right out of the package. You put the tray in your mouth and bite into it after boiling it to make it hot and moldable. The ultimate result is a ready-to-use ‘partially' molded tray. This style of tray has the problem of not fitting snugly, resulting in variable results and bleaching gel leaks into your mouth and gums. For obvious reasons, leaking bleach into the mouth is undesirable, and streaks on/around the gums can result in temporary (and even long-term) gum bleaching.
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| the Best Method of Home Teeth Whitening |
The Most Effective Way to Whiten Teeth at Home
Professional systems include a custom-fitting tray, which is necessary to ensure effective bleaching and consistent results. When you use a personalized tray, there will almost certainly be less leaking into your mouth and gums. Custom-fit trays are available from your dentist or from a variety of online providers that sell a DIY custom tray kit. This type of technology really sends you all of the materials you'll need to take an impression of your teeth and create your own custom-fitting dentures. Simply produce an impression with the items given, drop it in the pre-addressed shipping envelope, and mail it. They'll create your personalized bleaching trays in a licensed laboratory and return them to you in 2-7 business days... All you have to do now is apply the gel on the tray and place it in your mouth for the specified amount of time.
The gel used in a teeth whitening system is the most crucial component. You can have an expensive custom-fitted tray (mouthpiece), but if you don't use the correct teeth whitening gel, you'll spend far too much time with the tray in your mouth, and your results will be less than satisfactory. It is important to grasp exactly what whitening gels are comprised of and what they truly accomplish in order to comprehend the variations between them and why they are considered the best tooth whitener.
Most gels contain carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide, with additives and flavors included in some. In the tongue, carbamide peroxide is converted to hydrogen peroxide. The active whitener is hydrogen peroxide (the same chemical that bleaches your hair). The intensity of the peroxide is what distinguishes most gels. The majority of gels these days are 15% and more, with some of the most popular being around 22%. The strength of the peroxide will obviously influence how long you need to keep the tray in your mouth, and tooth sensitivity can play a big role in determining which level to use. However, it is the amount of time that the teeth are exposed to the chemical rather than the strength of the peroxide that usually produces sensitivity. As a result, some people prefer to use a stronger product (such as 22 percent) for a shorter amount of time. Higher concentrations, such as 35 percent, are available, but they are only indicated for short ‘bursts' of maintenance, such as once a month for 15-30 minutes.
Bonding and porcelain veneers are two other methods of professional teeth whitening. Both of these procedures need genuine structural changes to your teeth. Bonding includes the application of a composite resin to the teeth in order to change their color and shape. Over time, the resin material can discolor and chip. Bonding normally takes one office visit and costs $300-700 per tooth. Veneers are shell-like coverings that can be bonded to discolored teeth. They are used to whiten as well as reshape and/or lengthen teeth. Veneers take at least two visits to the dentist and range in price from $700 to $1,200 per tooth.