Local Dental Care - Illinois Teeth Gel

Teeth Whitener Options: Different Ways to Brighten Your Teeth

"Tooth whitening" is a broad term, and it's sometimes hard to know what's the right tooth whitener for you. Wondering what your options are?

• Teeth whitening or laser bleaching at the dentist's office
• At-home bleaching kits provided by your dentist
• Over-the-counter tooth whiteners sold at pharmacies, grocery stores, etc.

You'll get the most dramatic results if you see your dentist for instant whitening. Dentists apply a powerful bleaching agent to your teeth for a short period of time. (In laser teeth whitening, the dentist uses laser light to activate the bleaching agent.) The appointment typically takes about an hour and can lighten teeth by a number of shades. For deep-down tooth stains, multiple sessions may be required to achieve maximum brightness.

Your dentist can also give you a kit that allows you to bleach your teeth in the comfort and privacy of your own home. Your dentist will take molds of your teeth to create customized dental trays; made of thin plastic, the trays slide over your teeth and provide a tight seal. Each day (or night), you'll put a small amount of bleaching paste or gel in the trays, then slide them over your teeth. Most people wear the trays for about half an hour a day for two weeks.

If you're skipping the dentist and buying tooth whiteners at the store without a prescription, you're not getting the same type of whitening offered by cosmetic dentists. These products will do the job, but they will never be as effective as what you'll get from a dentist. By law, over-the-counter tooth whitening products cannot use as strong of bleaching agents as those used by licensed dentists.

These commercial products come in a number of forms. Whitening toothpaste has been around for a long time, and whitening strips have become increasingly popular. They may provide a bleaching gel that you paint on your teeth or apply via one-size-fits-all bleaching trays.

In considering your teeth bleaching options, you should ask yourself how much money you're willing to spend and how many shades whiter you want your teeth to be. Your dentist can also help you decide what's the right method for you.

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

Who Wants Whiter Teeth?

Tooth bleaching is a way to lighten teeth without bonding material to the teeth, or removing any sound tooth structure. In this respect, it's one of the most conservative cosmetic procedures. It's an "old" procedure, back in vogue.

How does professional tooth whitening work?

First, the tooth is isolated with a rubber dam. This protects your gums and tongue, too. Then the tooth is cleaned thoroughly. Your tooth may or may not be pre-conditioned to help the teeth whitening products penetrate.

The tooth is covered with gauze, and the teeth bleaching solution is carefully applied. A heat source "cures" the bleach and hastens the process. These steps are repeated several times, depending on the appropriate level of whiteness you want to achieve. The color of adjacent teeth will be considered too, so you'll look natural (there is such a thing as too white).

A professional tooth whitening session takes 30 to 45 minutes - and there you are. After three to five sessions, the tooth really shows the difference.

Does professional tooth bleaching work for everyone?

The success of the procedure depends in part on what caused the tooth staining in the first place. Surface coffee, tea, and tobacco stains that resist cleaning can be bleached away (the stains will reappear over time if you continue to indulge, of course). Antibiotic staining - from tetracycline, for example - is a bit harder to treat with simple teeth bleaching. Alternatively, a jacket or porcelain veneers may be called for. The idea is to be very selective about which tooth is a good candidate for the procedure.

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.