Professional Whitening:The Best Teeth Whitening Products
Professional Whitening
Hello, and welcome! We all want to look and feel our best, and one area that can have a tremendous impact on our overall appearance is the color and condition of our teeth. There are many professional and at home teeth whitening products available today to help improve the look of our smile.
That's why we've created this special page within the site to provide information for the reader regarding the best products and services available to whiten teeth.
In today's image conscious society, our personal appearance can play a large part in how we are perceived by others as we go about our day to day routine. First impressions can affect everything from personal to professional relationships, and the old saying is as true today as it ever was. While beauty may indeed be only skin deep, and clothes may make the man or woman, feeling our best often goes hand in hand with looking our best. Being up close and in person can reveal a lot about someone, and a nice bright smile is hard to forget.
A great place to start is to think about what causes teeth to stain, yellow, and darken in the first place. There are many things that contribute to the problem, including age, diet, tobacco, dental work, and general oral hygiene. Consulting with a dentist regarding the best whitening options is highly recommended.
Some of the most obvious culprits such as soft drinks, coffee, and tobacco use can be eliminated or at least moderated to lessen their negative impact. Not only will this help improve one's outward appearance, but can also play a part in a healthier overall life style.While in most cases the natural range in color of teeth can be from light gray to yellowish, our perception of these variations can be impacted by the contrast created by skin tone, tan, make up, etc. A very light skin color will make tooth color stand out, while darker skin color will give the appearance of much whiter, brighter teeth. Though our teeth are not naturally the ultimate white color we often see portrayed in the media, many of us would like to improve our appearance with a brighter smile.
There are several professional whitening options, and a number of at home teeth whitening remedies as well. There are many claims made about which product is the best teeth whitener, and when considering which one to choose, factors such as ease of use, cost and safety can all play a part in the decision making process. Taking the time to do a bit of research is a good idea, and speaking with a dentist can provide a solid information base.Having taken the time to become well informed, and armed with a list of available options , making a decision as to which to choose should be fairly straight forward.
If we are reasonable in our expectations, a home remedy or over the counter product may well suffice. For those seeking more pronounced results, professional whitening may be the way to go. Something else to consider is that not all teeth can be successfully whitened. Teeth that are yellow colored react best to whitening, while it’s much harder to whiten brown or gray teeth. Teeth that have been affected by dental work will often require more specialized treatment. Again, a dentist should be consulted regarding any plan to brighten these types of teeth.
For those inclined to follow a more natural path, there a several things that can be done to improve the look of their teeth without resorting to expensive professional whitening treatments. Some of these are simple, sensible things that can be incorporated into daily living without fear of harming the tooth enamel or one's health. As mentioned earlier, cutting back on foods, beverages, and tobacco products that stain the teeth can be the first step.
Incorporating fresh crunchy fruits and vegetables into our diet will not only provide us with more wholesome fuel, but also comes with some added benefits. The naturally abrasive texture of many fruit and vegetable foods such as apples, carrots, cucumbers, and celery can help scrub the surface of the tooth clean of many everyday type stains.
Some other natural solutions can involve the use of other fruits containing malic or citric acid. The potassium hydroxide found in hardwood ash has also been used as a whitening agent for teeth, but brushing with it does not sound all that appealing. The use of baking soda(sometimes used with salt or peroxide) has been around a long time. Baking soda can remove stains, kill the bacteria which causes plaque, and reduce acids which can harm tooth enamel. Baking soda has also been reported to dissolve orthodontic glue, and overuse or overly aggressive brushing can harm tooth enamel.
Gargling with peroxide has been used to whiten teeth, but keep in mind that over the counter peroxide is not nearly as concentrated as the peroxide found in effective teeth whiteners, and even food grade peroxide should not be ingested. The popular peroxide remedy has you brush your teeth normally, swish peroxide around your teeth, and then rinse with water. This is reportedly safe, however it may irritate the gums and can cause tooth sensitivity.
Excessive use of any of these, like all teeth whitening products, could be harmful and should be avoided. Common sense should be our guiding light, and the best teeth whitener is the one that can produce the desired result with no adverse side affects. It cannot be stressed enough that the best approach to selecting a safe, effective teeth whitening product or regime is to first consult with a dentist.
Many of the readily available at home teeth whitening products can work very effectively for most people, and are often all you need to make your smile just a few shades whiter. Most if not all of the best teeth whitening products use hydrogen peroxide, just like the professional whitening systems. The main difference of these is that the kits made for home use have a lower concentration of whitening agent.
One of the main and biggest advantages of the tooth whitening products available over the counter is that they are quite inexpensive when compared to the professional whitening work offered in most dental offices. Many of the best whitening products available today can be obtained for under fifty dollars, which is very affordable when compared to the four hundred dollars plus that I was recently quoted for a professional teeth whitening procedure supervised by my dentist. Another advantage of the teeth whitening products designed for home use is the fact that they are available everywhere from your local drugstore to the supermarket, and you can start using them right away in the privacy of you own home and on your schedule.
If there are any disadvantages in using off the shelf at home teeth whitening products, one might be the lack of professional whitening advice that is available at your dentist's office. When they first appeared on the market, even the best whitening products worked because they contained abrasive materials that would literally scrape the stains off of the teeth. This material was quite harmful to teeth, as it would also take the enamel off of the teeth as it removed the stains. Many of today's surface whiteners (usually toothpaste or chewing gum) contain finer versions of the same abrasives found in regular toothpaste, and will not normally cause problems with tooth wear when used as directed.
As in almost all cases, today's advanced oral care products have been improved markedly over those used in the past. Of the multitude of teeth whitening products available today, it is reasonable to expect that they are perfectly safe when used as directed. These products are typically to be used for one to two weeks. Generally speaking, these over the counter teeth whitening products use hydrogen peroxide, and work by bleaching the enamel on the teeth to remove the stains from the user's teeth.
Some studies have shown that this bleaching can create pores on the surface of the tooth. This degrading of the enamel can lead to problems with tooth decay. It is important that a user understand that they should stop the treatment if they notice any increased sensitivity in their teeth after using a tooth whitening product. You should consult with your dentist, who might advise you not to whiten your teeth if this is the cause of the increased sensitivity.
There are of course also safe professional whitening options that are offered by a dentist, rather than those done at home. These treatments can be as simple as recommending brushing with a special whitening toothpaste or wearing a special custom made mouth piece filled with a tooth whitening agent for part of the day. There are some highly specialised and advanced treatments that are done in the dentists office.
With these procedures, the dentist will protect the gums and soft tissue of the mouth, and then apply a whitening agent directly on the teeth. In some of these cases, lasers are also used to activate and enhance the effect of the whitening product used on the teeth. These procedures can be expensive when compared to the off the shelf variety, but are often considered to be among the best teeth whitening products. Since trained dentists perform these professional whitening procedures, they are considered very safe.
Individuals seeking information regarding teeth whitening should consult with a dentist. The dentist will usually give the person a thorough teeth cleaning and then consult with the patient on any possible complications that may arise while pursuing safe teeth whitening options. The dental professional can explain the cause of the tooth discolouration and also tell you whether a bleaching treatment will give you the desired results. This step is especially important for patients wishing to whiten teeth that have changed color due to dental work. The dentist can offer tooth whitening advise targeted to your specific individual needs. This may includes options for what is known as vital bleaching, which is done on teeth that are still alive but have become dark due to age or have been stained by food, beverage, or tobacco use. There is also the option of non-vital bleaching that is done on teeth that are no longer alive but may have changed color due to things like a root canal. This treatment will lighten the tooth color from the inside out.
There have been many clinical studies that support the safety and effectiveness of home-use bleaching agents when used as directed. Tooth sensitivity and irritation to soft tissues can sometimes occur during whitening treatments, but these effects appear to be transient. The effects of long term tooth whitening procedures are unknown, and need to be researched. This is especially true since the effect is not permanent, and many individuals may end up undergoing further periodic bleaching treatments.
While it is wise to avoid excessive use of any of these options, most experts agree that teeth whitening is a safe procedure. A dentist can can offer good advice on the best teeth whitening products or professional whitening services that are most appropriate for your specific needs.