Teeth Whitening

Teeth Whitening

Whether you like it or not, teeth will get darker over time. This happens due to staining from foods, drinks or smoking. Tea, coffee and red wine are the most popular drinks which stain the teeth. If you want to prevent or at least  postpone this staining process, the best is to drink some water or rinse with some water after each time you have anything which you think will stain your teeth. Just be careful not to drink cold water straight after a hot tea or coffee as it will cause tiny cracks in teeth.

Teeth whitening works by using peroxide products to release oxygen ions to break down the bonds in stain molecules. In other word oxygen ion breaks the stain molecule to two or more part which is not black anymore.

Carbamide peroxide and hydrogen peroxide are used for this process. Carbamide peroxide breaks down to urea and hydrogen peroxide. 10% Carbamide peroxide equals to about 3.3% hydrogen peroxide. They both work the same when delivered in the same method and concentration. For night bleaching we usually use Carbamide peroxide as it takes time for that to break down to hydrogen peroxide and release oxygen ion over longer time. Hydrogen peroxide releases same amount of oxygen ion quicker which makes that suitable for day bleach.

There are many different types of products out there which at least claim they whiten your teeth. From tooth paste or gel to strips or trays with or without applying the UV light. The fact is the higher the percentage of hydrogen peroxide, the better it works and of course the higher the chance it cause sensitivity for your teeth. But there are some regulations which does not let non professionals or over the counter products use or have high percentage of hydrogen peroxide as it may damage teeth and gum if used inappropriately. Which means over the counter products will never work as good as a professionally prescribed or applied one.

Overall there are two ways of professional teeth whitening:

1. Home bleach
2. Office bleach

1. In home method you will get a set of trays and bleaching material and will be instructed how to use it. Take about 7-10 days to get the result.

– Positive points are:

• It is cheaper.
• It is repeatable in future without visiting the dentist again.
• It is controllable by you how much wither you want you teeth.
• Causes less sensitivity in teeth.

– Negative point is:

• Take longer

2. In Office method dentist will insulate the cheek, lips and gum from bleaching material and then apply high percentage hydrogen peroxide to teeth. This bleach material can be self activated, chemically activated or light activated. An example of light activated one is Zoom Whitening.

– Positive point is :

• It is done in one session and is quick.

– Negative points are:

• More expensive
• May cause more sensitivity in teeth
• You need to see a dentist when you want to have it done again.

The main thing about teeth whitening is ti have realistic expectations. Teeth whitening doesn’t do magic. It turns the color of teeth to its original. It really depends on the structure of tooth, thickness of enamel and actual yellowness of dentin underneath it.

Always ask your dentist how much whiter your teeth can get, before having teeth whitening done.