Whitening has become more and more popular over the years.
Many people nowadays are looking to have their teeth whitened. The market for over the counter whitening products, from whitening treatments to toothpaste, as well as treatments from your dentist is growing every year. There are many different ways to whiten your teeth, but all techniques use one of two ways to produce results. So how exactly does tooth whitening work?
1. Bleaching Methods
The first way tooth whitening works is through bleaching procedures. These methods change your natural tooth color anywhere between five and seven shades whiter. This is the method used by in-office whitening and the trays you can buy at your local grocery store. The bleach products contain an active ingredient (usually carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide) to help remove surface as well as deep-set stains. Bleaching methods include the following treatments:
- Chairside Bleaching: a light-activated whitening session at your dentist’s office. These give instant, dramatic results and can last for about a year. After this year, however, your teeth will become slightly discolored again and you will need another treatment to regain your white teeth.
- Mouthpiece: Your dentist can create a custom mouthpiece for use at your home. Typically, you’ll wear the mouthpiece several hours a day or overnight for a two week period. Then you’ll wear it again as new stains develop.
- Over the Counter Trays: these are bought at your local drugstore or grocery store and include boil and bite application as well as whitening strips.
2. Non-Bleaching Methods
On the other hand, non-bleaching procedures work to remove surface stains through either physical or chemical action. All toothpaste, in a sense, is a whitening agent since they use mild abrasion to remove surface stains. Special whitening toothpaste adds in special chemical and polishing agents to aid in stain removal. Dentists also use abrasion during regular cleaning checkups to remove most of the external staining on your teeth caused by the effects of food.
You Can Trust Olney Dental for All of Your Oral Care Needs
For all of your oral care questions and concerns, Olney dental has the expertise and professionalism to get them the answers they need. Olney Dental is ready to supply you with expert service in a professional environment. Schedule an appointment online today! For more information on how we can give your family the best dentist experience available, give us a call at (301) 250-1057 or contact us online. For more dental tips, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, and Pinterest.