Tooth Whitening - The Do’s and Dont's
The benefits of tooth whitening are many - extending to your business, social and personal life. Stained yellow teeth put you at a disadvantage in some social circumstances. Given there is a good amount of competition in both business and social circumstances, it is certainly useful to look as presentable as possible to be successful. Stained yellow teeth, which are so simply remedied, shouldn't get in the way of you being successful.
Specific Side Effects
With a few at-home kits, you run the possibility of burning your gums, or making them sore. In the situation of tooth whitening, as in most areas, you get what you pay for. Two side effects often seen are irritation of the soft mouth tissues (the gums) and an increase in tooth sensitivity. Irritation of the mouth tissues often is caused by a poorly fitted mouthpiece tray and not the tooth bleaching chemical. To remedy the mouth tissue irritation, various treatment options could be followed. These include wearing the tray for a shorter time span, suspending the process for two-three days, or use of a high fluoride gel to augment the tray, thus assisting in re-mineralizing the teeth.
The second side effect observed is tooth sensitivity. Some affected people can’t stand to talk because the airflow hurts their teeth. When and if you start experiencing tooth sensitivity, see your dentist immediately. Also, you can brush with toothpaste specially formulated for sensitive teeth.
Your Treatment Choices
You have a choice of treatment options of differing cost and effectiveness:
- Over the counter gels ($15) and whitening strips ($10 - $55 for a 14-day treatment)
- Tray-based tooth whitening systems ($20 - $150)
- Dentist administered home bleaching systems ($300 - $600)
Compare the full, dentist supervised procedure to an over the counter tooth whitening product, where you are totally on your own. With the dentist supervised tooth whitening, your oral cavity and gums are secure from bleaching effects. The dentist can determine the optimal type of stain to match your unique set of dental restorations. Most significantly, your dentist is able to make a customized mouthpiece tray, exactly fitted to your mouth. This results in maximal exposure of your teeth to the whitening agent and minimal pain to your gums and oral tissue.
Determine what your tradeoffs are! When opting for a whitener you should look for the ADA Seal for safety and effectiveness. Tooth whiteners, gels or strips contain carbamide or hydrogen peroxide as the active bleaching ingredients.
Tooth Whitening Tradeoffs
- Do you desire as little pain and/or side effects as possible? Then pick a dentist-supervised, personalized fitted tray whitening approach.
- Do you seek to spend as little as possible? Then choose an over the counter kit, but be prepared to achieve everything yourself.
- Do you want as little gum irritation as possible? Then opt for a low concentration of carbamide peroxide in the whitening gel.
- Do you need or want tooth whitening as quick as possible? Then opt for the new laser treatment obtainable at a dentist’s office.
Some Tricks of the Trade
If you decide to proceed with the Tooth Whitening process, also make certain you do the following Therabreath Recommendations to obtain the finest results:
- Apply some aloe vera juice to your gums. Then, just before whitening, for two minutes brush your teeth with oxygenating toothpaste plus some good natural polishing agents.
- The best home tooth whitening systems use a moldable tray system containing a mouthpiece you can personally fit to your mouth. You mold them by soaking them for a few seconds in warm water, then you press the plastic down or up against your teeth and gums. When the plastic cools you have a superb fitting, soft plastic mouthpiece that is just right for your particular teeth and face.
- Use a strong teeth whitening gel to ensure that the time your teeth are in contact with the whitening gel is well spent. Use a 21% carbamide peroxide concentrated teeth whitening gel, not containing any glycerin, that will allow a reduction in the sensitivity of your teeth and gums.
- Right away following the teeth whitening treatment, improve the result by using an oxygenating oral rinse. Do not use a mouthwash containing alcohol, as this can in fact reduce the bleaching effect.
- Follow this teeth whitening system for several days consecutively.
Who should not Start Tooth Whitening
Tooth whitening might achieve some remarkable results and should well be worth the cost and time involved. But then, tooth whitening is not for everybody. The list below indicates those who shouldn't engage in this technique:
- Children under the age of 16
- Pregnant/lactating women
- Darkly stained teeth (grayish or purple-stained teeth)
- Those with fillings or dental restorations.
- Individuals with exposed roots, cavities, gum disease, worn enamel
- Individuals having allergies and sensitive teeth
- Individuals with unrealistic expectations
- Teeth with dark gray stains or crowns
Regarding unrealistic expectations, understand that the whitening of your teeth will lead to a color somewhat whiter than the whites of your eyes. Any other expectation of the outcome of tooth whitening is just outside the bounds of current techniques.
Remember, to cause those newly whitened teeth to last longer post-whitening, make sure you carry out the following:
- Brush your teeth minimally twice a day!
- Floss on a daily basis
- Quit smoking!
- Try to stay away from soft drinks and excessive coffee consumption
- Use a decent, effective mouth rinse
If you have a further interest in tooth whitening, you may also want to review cost of professional teeth whitening or also teeth whitening product .
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