Info on tooth whitening gel

Why a Tooth Whitening System?

Why do teeth become yellowed? This is due to the fact that people consume caffeine-containing drinks, smoke, get exposed to antibiotics, and just plain age. Teeth whitening is an effective way to reverse this process, and is so successful that 95% of persons experiencing the procedure do demonstrate some improvement. There is a plethora of tooth whitening systems available currently. Tooth whitening systems offer a wide spectrum of alternatives, ranging from low cost whitening strips on the low end to costly but for the most part effective skilled dental whitening services.

The ADA Seal of Acceptance

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

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 need some simple maintenance of prior tooth whitening, then this is the direction to go. However, if the situation is more deep rooted, then more tooth whitening systems might be looked into.

Whitening Strip Method

The next simplest tooth whitening system 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 expensive, and easiest to utilize tooth whitening approach. This explains the popularity of this method. But then, frequently the results are not as nice as those outcomes seen with the tray-based methods or in-office laser tooth whitening systems. Whitening strips can accomplish a fine job of whitening the exterior tooth surfaces, but do a poor job of bleaching the teeth divisions and cracks. A dark division between whitened teeth could seem similar to a bad cavity. If you don't use a tray-based tooth whitening system, you run the possibility of having irregular or spotty possible results.

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

Three Main Approaches to Tooth Whitening

Despite the perplexing array of dentist and over the counter (OTC) products, there are practically just three (3) approaches to whitening one’s teeth:

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

There's not anything intrinsically good or deficient regarding any of these three basic approaches - each procedure could yield decent outcomes. The key to the best results 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 method of delivery. This is absolutely necessary to keep the gel in contact with the surface of the tooth. You simply can’t put a bleaching agent on your teeth without a fine delivery technique and expect it to work.

Take Home Tray Whitening

Through 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. Finally, 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 subsequently worn for one to two hours at home at a convenient time by the tooth whitening patient. Because the bleaching tray is so custom fitted, this permits the bleaching gel to stay in contact with the teeth surface. Actually, this is the most significant aspect of the bleaching process and is the explanation why tray based bleaching systems have been so successful. This is perhaps the most cost effective method of tooth whitening now out there.

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

Dentist-supervised laser tooth whitening

With a procedure similar to Zoom® tooth whitening, a special bright laser light is shone on the teeth whitening gel for an hour. Laser light energy creates energy which causes chemical reactions that lead to the tooth whitening. A good number of people do a Zoom® tooth whitening once every six months. Compared to OTC products, dentists for the most part 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 precisely defined light frequency combined with a proprietary bleaching chemical produces very amplified whitening effects.

A comparison of peroxide concentrations in tooth whitening

The following table will give 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, expense, and benefits of the various 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 carefully all instructions. Take a look at your condition. Only if you are looking for a little whitening of your teeth, then think about an OTC tooth whitening system. Provided that you truly want a wonderful bright white smile, at that time your only option is a cosmetic dentist.

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