You feel fully charged up when you wake up! You have an inkling that this will be your day. You feel fully prepared for your class presentation, feeling very positive about your job interview, and excited about your dinner date. The mirror then gives you a shock. You keep brushing your teeth, but nothing seems to remove the yellowish color on your teeth! What should you do? It might be time to consider having your teeth whitened by a professional.
In fact, teeth whitening has caught the attention of humans for thousands of years. Peroxide and other substances were found to be effective for whitening teeth in the 20th century. Bleaching gained popularity as a teeth-whitening method in the eighties. Today, laser technology can be used to help obtain whiter and brighter smiles.
Why is Teeth Whitening Necessary?
Basically enamel, which is our tooth's white exterior coating, covers the dentin, which is the softer, yellowish inner part of our teeth. Our enamel coat tends to slowly become thinner as we age, and as a result of decades of chewing, brushing, and other similar activities. The soft dentin slowly becomes visible when our enamel erodes. And for this reason, we have discolored teeth.
What Are the Options?
There are many methods used for teeth whitening. Using an over-the-counter product or another "do it yourself" whitening agent at home is, of course, one option that some people choose. Self-treatment, however, is not always effective, And, even when it is successful, it usually requires several weeks or even months to complete.
Many people prefer professional teeth whitening instead of choosing at-home whitening treatment. In this method, the teeth whitening dentist will use a medical-grade whitening solution to start a chemical reaction for getting the desired outcomes. Although the whitening agent uses vary from office to office, the basic principles are constant.
Most of the time, patients notice a significant improvement in the color of their teeth after just one visit to a dental office. Results will normally appear much faster than with at-home treatments, which typically use weaker solutions.
Laser Teeth Whitening
Some individuals nowadays choose to have their teeth whitened with a laser. In fact, the teeth whitening dentist will speed up the chemical reaction between the compound and the teeth during the laser teeth whitening procedure, making the teeth whiter even more quickly than with traditional procedures.
One major advantage of this teeth whitening method is fast results. Some patients just need to spend 15 or 20 minutes at the dental clinic for their whitening procedure! Although this procedure usually has no associated pain, if you have sensitive teeth and are considering this option, ensure to get advice from your dentist about the pros and cons.
The Nutshell
Sometimes dentists will recommend soaking the teeth in peroxide for certain amounts of time on a daily or weekly basis. However, this is supposed to supplement, not replace, the professional teeth whitening procedure performed in the dental office. In a nutshell your best option is to visit a dental office and get the latest laser teeth whitening done by a professional.
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