Info on natural teeth whiteners

Why a Tooth Whitening System?

Tooth whitening systems offer a wide spectrum of alternatives, ranging from low cost whitening strips on the low end to costly but mostly effective expert dental whitening services. Why do teeth become yellowed? This is due to the fact that people consume caffeine-containing drinks, smoke, become exposed to antibiotics, and just plain age. Teeth whitening is an effective technique to reverse this process, and is so successful that 95% of persons going through the approach do demonstrate some improvement. There is a great deal of tooth whitening systems available currently.

Three Primary Approaches to Tooth Whitening

In spite of the bewildering array of dentist and over the counter (OTC) products, there are practically simply three (3) approaches to whitening one’s teeth:

• Dental in-office bleaching
• Self-applied night-time bleaching using a custom-fitted tray or a polyethylene strip
• Individual administered whitening using OTC bleaching products

There is nothing intrinsically superb or unfavorable about any of these three basic techniques - each method should yield top notch outcomes. You just can’t put a bleaching agent on your teeth without a viable delivery method and expect it to work. The key to the highest quality outcomes in tooth whitening is the whitening agent delivery system. In all the tooth whitening methods, the tooth bleaching gel is kept in place by a procedure of delivery. This is with out a doubt necessary to keep the gel in contact with the surface of the tooth.

Whitening Strip Method

The next simplest tooth whitening approach is the whitening strip procedure. You place tooth bleaching tape on your front teeth. This tape is flexible, and contains the gel that bleaches the teeth. This is the most comfortable, least costly, and easiest to employ tooth whitening system. This explains the popularity of this system. Yet, frequently the possible results aren't as good as those results seen with the tray-based methods or in-office laser tooth whitening systems. Whitening strips are able to accomplish a fine job of whitening the exterior tooth surfaces, but achieve a poor job of bleaching the teeth divisions and cracks. A dark division between whitened teeth might appear like a bad cavity. If you don't utilize a tray-based tooth whitening system, you run the possibility of possessing irregular or spotty results.

OTC tooth whitening products ought to in principle come up with the identical tooth whitening effect as a visit to a dentist office, but with a lower concentration of the peroxide (5% - 10%), and over a longer period of time. This is partially true, but omits the fact that dentists use a laser tooth whitening system as well as bleach, something unavailable with OTC products.

The ADA Seal of Acceptance

Only certain tray-based dentist-dispensed products have the ADA Seal. In all the at-home tooth whiteners which have earned the ADA Seal, the active ingredient is a 10% carbamide peroxide solution. There are varying levels of value to all these whitening systems. This is an area that the U.S. FDA does not get involved. Nevertheless, the American Dental Association (ADA) does set rules for tooth whitening products. The ADA guideline for a whitener requires that it not turn out to be bad to the soft tissues of the mouth or the teeth, and that a whitener can effectively whiten teeth. What one must know in regards to the ADA seal of acceptance is that no OTC product has yet attained this coveted designation.

Tooth Whitening Toothpaste

The most simple tooth whitening technique is tooth whitening toothpaste (which is a mix of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda). If you merely require some simple maintenance of prior tooth whitening, then this is the way to go. However, if the problem is more deep rooted, then further tooth whitening systems should be looked into.

Take Home Tray Whitening

Because the bleaching tray is so custom fitted, this allows the bleaching gel to keep in contact with the teeth surface. In essence, this is the most important aspect of the bleaching process and is the rationale why tray based bleaching systems have been so successful. This is possibly the most cost effective method of tooth whitening presently out there. With a take home tooth whitening tray method, which the patient can perform at home, the dentist makes an impression for a model of the patient’s teeth. Later, a perfect fitting bleach tray is fitted from this impression. Lastly, a bleaching gel is prescribed by the dentist. At home, the bleaching gel is placed in the bleaching tray by the patient and the tray is then worn for one to two hours at home at a convenient time by the tooth whitening patient.

An OTC kit is similar to the take home whitening tray fitted at the dentist’s office, but in this case, you are totally on your own. You must closely follow all the instructions. This method has been successful, but you should be careful. This method is not recommended by the ADA.

Dentist-supervised laser tooth whitening

Contrasted to OTC products, dentists usually use a higher concentration of bleaching compound with a laser tooth whitening system like Britesmile® or Zoom® tooth whitening. With a laser whitening process, the exactly defined light frequency combined with a proprietary bleaching chemical produces exceptionally amplified whitening effects. With a procedure such as Zoom® tooth whitening, a special bright laser light is shone on the teeth whitening gel for an hour. Laser light energy creates energy which leads to chemical reactions that cause the tooth whitening. A good number of people do a Zoom® tooth whitening once every six months.

A comparison of peroxide concentrations in tooth whitening

The following table will provide the reader a thorough understanding of the varying strengths of peroxides used in the different whitening systems.

Application	Agent	Professional/OTC	Concentration
In Office "power bleaching"	hydrogen peroxide carbamide peroxide	dentist dentist	15%-38% 35%
Night-time tray bleaching	carbamide peroxide hydrogen peroxide	dentist dentist	10%-22% 6-9.5%
whitening strips	hydrogen peroxide hydrogen peroxide	OTC dentist	5.3%-10% 6.5%-14%
paint on gels	carbamide peroxide hydrogen peroxide	OTC OTC	18% 19%

A comparison of all the tooth whitening systems

In the ensuing table, we make an attempt to summarize the relative effectiveness, prices, and benefits of the several tooth whitening systems.

Method	Effectiveness	Length of results	Treatment Duration	Side Effects	Tooth Type	Cost
Whitening strips	Whitens teeth slightly, might leave "lines"	1 year	7-14 days	Minimally sensitive teeth/gums	Slightly yellow teeth	$15
Brush on whitening gels	Somewhat better than regular toothpaste	Several weeks	7-14 days	Bad breath	Slightly yellow teeth	$3-$5
OTC gels	Improves with higher peroxide levels	1 year	1-3 weeks	Sensitive teeth/gums	Moderately yellow to dark teeth	$10
Bleaching done in dentist's office	Great for yellow teeth	3 yrs	1-2 mos.	Sensitive teeth/gums	Extremely dark teeth, which require professional evaluation	$300-$1000
Dentist supervised gel application	Great for yellow teeth	3 years	3-6 wks	Sensitive teeth/gums	Dark teeth, which needs a dentist-supervised evaluation	$300-$500
Crowns	Very effective for one tooth	10-15 years	1 month	feeling of tightness	Single tooth is decayed or broken	$600-$3000
Veneers	Very effective for just one tooth	10-15 years	3-4 weeks	feeling of tightness	Single tooth needs straightening	$500-$1200
Bonding	Very effective for just one tooth	5-10 years	1-2 weeks	Rare allergies	Single tooth needs minor reshaping	$300-$700

Conclusion

Whatever tooth whitening system you prefer, always seek the advice of your dentist and follow in detail all instructions. Review your condition. If you are looking for a small amount of whitening of your teeth, then think about an OTC tooth whitening system. Provided that you truly want a great bright white smile, at that time your only choice is a cosmetic dentist.

If you have a further interest in tooth whitening methods, you may also want to look into tooth whitening product or in addition the best teeth whitening.