Info on natural teeth whiteners

Why a Tooth Whitening System?

Tooth whitening systems provide a wide spectrum of alternatives, ranging from economical whitening strips on the low end to pricey but typically effective professional dental whitening services. Why do teeth darken? This is due to the fact that individuals consume caffeine-containing drinks, smoke, become exposed to antibiotics, and just plain get older. Teeth whitening is an effective course to reverse this process, and is so successful that 95% of those going through the approach do confirm some improvement. There is a good amount of of tooth whitening systems obtainable today.

Three Primary Approaches to Tooth Whitening

Despite the confusing array of dentist and over the counter (OTC) products, there are basically 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 simply can’t put a bleaching agent on your teeth without a viable delivery system and presume it to work. The key to the best results in tooth whitening is the whitening agent delivery method. In all the tooth whitening methods, the tooth bleaching gel is kept in place by a procedure of delivery. This is unquestionably critical to keep the gel in contact with the surface of the tooth. There is nothing intrinsically good or bad about any of these three basic approaches - each system should yield decent outcomes.

Whitening Strip Method

The next simplest tooth whitening technique is the whitening strip procedure. You place tooth bleaching tape on your front teeth. This tape is flexible, and contains the gel which bleaches the teeth. This is the most comfortable, least costly, and easiest to use tooth whitening technique. This explains the popularity of this approach. But then, often the results aren't as good as those results seen with the tray-based methods or in-office laser tooth whitening systems. Whitening strips might do 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 might 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 should in principle provide the identical tooth whitening effect as a visit to a dentist office, yet 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 employ a laser tooth whitening system as well as bleach, something unavailable with OTC products.

Take Home Tray Whitening

Through a take home tooth whitening tray technique, 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 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. In fact, this is the most critical aspect of the bleaching process and is the explanation why tray based bleaching systems have been so successful. This is possibly the most cost effective method of tooth whitening currently 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 thoroughly follow all the instructions. This procedure has been successful, but you must be careful. This approach is not recommended by the ADA.

Dentist-supervised laser tooth whitening

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 causes chemical reactions that cause the tooth whitening. Most people do a Zoom® tooth whitening once every six months. Compared to OTC products, dentists mostly use a higher concentration of bleaching compound with a laser tooth whitening system like Britesmile® or Zoom® tooth whitening. With a laser whitening technique, the exactly defined light frequency combined with a proprietary bleaching chemical produces especially enhanced whitening effects.

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 following table, we try to summarize the relative effectiveness, prices, and benefits of the diverse 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

The ADA Seal of Acceptance

The ADA guideline for a whitener requires that it not become harmful 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 yet attained this coveted designation. Only a small amount of tray-based dentist-dispensed products have the ADA Seal. In all the at-home tooth whiteners which have obtained the ADA Seal, the active ingredient is a 10% carbamide peroxide solution. There are differing levels of worth to all these whitening systems. This is an area that the U.S. FDA does not become involved. At any rate, the American Dental Association (ADA) does set guidelines for tooth whitening products.

Tooth Whitening Toothpaste

The most uncomplicated tooth whitening approach is tooth whitening toothpaste (which is a mix of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda). If you simply need some uncomplicated maintenance of prior tooth whitening, then this is the way to go. Yet, if the difficulty is more deep rooted, then additional tooth whitening systems ought to be looked into.

Conclusion

Whatever tooth whitening system you prefer, always seek the advice of your dentist and follow closely all instructions. Evaluate your situation. Only if you are looking for a bit of whitening of your teeth, then think about an OTC tooth whitening system. If you particularly seek a magnificent 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 rapid white or in addition teeth whitening tricks.