Info on teeth whitening gel

Why a Tooth Whitening System?

Tooth whitening systems offer a wide spectrum of alternatives, ranging from low-priced whitening strips on the low end to pricey but mostly effective specialized dental whitening services. There is a plethora of tooth whitening systems available today. 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 get older. Teeth whitening is an effective path to reverse this process, and is so successful that 95% of persons undergoing the procedure do demonstrate some improvement.

The ADA Seal of Acceptance

Only certain 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. The ADA guideline for a whitener requires that it not be harmful to the soft tissues of the mouth or the teeth, and that a whitener can effectively whiten teeth. What a person must know regarding the ADA seal of acceptance is that no OTC product has as of yet received this coveted designation. There are varying levels of value to all these whitening systems. This is an area that the U.S. FDA doesn't get involved. Nonetheless, the American Dental Association (ADA) does set rules for tooth whitening products.

Tooth Whitening Toothpaste

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

Three Primary Approaches to Tooth Whitening

In spite of the confusing array of dentist and over the counter (OTC) products, there are in essence 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

There's not anything intrinsically good or bad regarding any of these three basic approaches - each method can yield decent outcomes. The secret to the best outcomes 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 system of delivery. This is definitely necessary to keep the gel in contact with the surface of the tooth. You clearly can’t put a bleaching agent on your teeth without a decent delivery technique and presume it to work.

Whitening Strip Method

Whitening strips might 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 look like a bad cavity. If you don't use a tray-based tooth whitening system, you run the risk of possessing irregular or spotty consequences. The next simplest tooth whitening method is the whitening strip technique. 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 procedure. This explains the popularity of this system. However, frequently the possible results are not as excellent as those results seen with the tray-based methods or in-office laser tooth whitening systems.

OTC tooth whitening products ought to in principle provide the identical tooth whitening effect as a visit to a dentist office, but with a lowered concentration of the peroxide (5% - 10%), and over a longer period of time. This is partially true, but omits the fact that dentists employ a laser tooth whitening system as well as bleach, something not available with OTC products.

Take Home Tray Whitening

As the bleaching tray is so custom fitted, this allows the bleaching gel to keep in contact with the teeth surface. Truly, this is the most critical 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. 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. 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 consequently 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 completely on your own. You must thoroughly follow all the instructions. This approach has been successful, but you should be careful. This technique is not recommended by the ADA.

Dentist-supervised laser tooth whitening

Contrasted to OTC products, dentists generally use a higher concentration of bleaching compound with a laser tooth whitening system like Britesmile® or Zoom® tooth whitening. With a laser whitening procedure, the precisely defined light frequency combined with a proprietary bleaching chemical produces particularly enhanced whitening effects. 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.

A comparison of peroxide concentrations in tooth whitening

The following table will give the reader a thorough understanding of the differing strengths of peroxides used in the diverse 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 attempt to summarize the relative effectiveness, costs, and benefits of the different 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 closely all instructions. Take a look at your circumstances. Only if you are looking for a little whitening of your teeth, then contemplate an OTC tooth whitening system. Provided that you particularly desire a fantastic bright white smile, at that time your sole option is a cosmetic dentist.

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