Info on carbamide peroxide

Why a Tooth Whitening System?

Why do teeth darken? 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 course to reverse this process, and is so successful that 95% of those undergoing the system do confirm some improvement. Tooth whitening systems provide a wide spectrum of alternatives, ranging from economical whitening strips on the low end to costly but mostly effective skilled dental whitening services. There is a large amount of of tooth whitening systems available today.

The ADA Seal of Acceptance

Only particular tray-based dentist-dispensed products have the ADA Seal. In all the at-home tooth whiteners that have received the ADA Seal, the active ingredient is a 10% carbamide peroxide solution. There are varying degrees of worth to all these whitening systems. This is an area that the U.S. FDA doesn't get involved. At any rate, the American Dental Association (ADA) does set rules for tooth whitening products. The ADA guideline for a whitener requires that it not become bad to the soft tissues of the mouth or the teeth, and that a whitener can effectively whiten teeth. What we should know about the ADA seal of acceptance is that no OTC product has as of yet received this coveted designation.

Tooth Whitening Toothpaste

The most basic tooth whitening system is tooth whitening toothpaste (which is a mix of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda). If you just want some uncomplicated maintenance of prior tooth whitening, then this is the direction to go. Yet, if the difficulty is more deep rooted, then more tooth whitening systems should be looked into.

Take Home Tray Whitening

With a take home tooth whitening tray system, which the patient can perform at home, the dentist makes an impression for a model of the patient’s teeth. Subsequently, 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. Due to the fact that the bleaching tray is so custom fitted, this allows the bleaching gel to keep in contact with the teeth surface. Actually, 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 maybe the most cost effective method of tooth whitening presently on hand.

An OTC kit is similar to the take home whitening tray fitted at the dentist’s office, but in this case, you are completely 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

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 leads to chemical reactions that cause the tooth whitening. A good number of people do a Zoom® tooth whitening once every six months. Judged against to OTC products, dentists typically 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 remarkably amplified whitening effects.

A comparison of peroxide concentrations in tooth whitening

The following table will provide the reader a thorough understanding of the differing strengths of peroxides utilized in the several 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 effort to summarize the relative effectiveness, prices, and advantages 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

Whitening Strip Method

The next simplest tooth whitening approach is the whitening strip approach. 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 pricey, and easiest to utilize tooth whitening technique. This explains the popularity of this system. Yet, often the possible results are not as good as those outcomes seen with the tray-based methods or in-office laser tooth whitening systems. Whitening strips are able to do 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 may seem like a bad cavity. If you do not employ a tray-based tooth whitening system, you run the risk of dealing with irregular or spotty possible results.

OTC tooth whitening products should in principle come up with the identical tooth whitening effect as a visit to a dentist office, however with a decreased concentration of the peroxide (5% - 10%), and over a longer period of time. 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 Primary Approaches to Tooth Whitening

Despite the bewildering array of dentist and over the counter (OTC) products, there are practically only 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

You just can’t put a bleaching agent on your teeth without a good delivery method and expect it to work. There is not anything intrinsically superb or bad regarding any of these three basic techniques - each system could yield decent outcomes. The secret to the finest results in tooth whitening is the whitening agent delivery procedure. In all the tooth whitening methods, the tooth bleaching gel is kept in place by a procedure of delivery. This is definitely critical to keep the gel in contact with the surface of the tooth.

Conclusion

Whatever tooth whitening system you prefer, always seek the advice of your dentist and follow closely all instructions. Analyze your condition. Only if you are looking for a small amount of whitening of your teeth, then consider an OTC tooth whitening system. Provided that you truly seek a superb 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 best tooth whitening products or in addition best teeth whiting.