Teeth Whitening Methods - Which Are The Best?
Saturday, May 9th, 2009Cosmetic dentistry is now a multi billion dollar field, with teeth whitening leading the way as more and more people are looking to restore the whiteness of their teeth and the brightness of their smile that has been diminished over the years by excessive coffee drinking, smoking, and many other factors. Teeth whitening can be undergone professionally, at the office of your dentist, or done at home due to the increasing availability of do-it-yourself kits and products now carried by many drug stores and supermarkets.
Professional teeth whitening typically involves the use of peroxide based bleaching chemicals and laser light. With so many people looking to improve their smile and their appearance, laser teeth whitening has become a very popular option.
Laser whitening is performed by a dental health professional in a dentist’s office and is a closely monitored procedure, making it the preferred treatment option for those with highly sensitive teeth. It is among the most effective of whitening techniques and in some cases teeth are whitened by as many as ten shades.
The laser whitening procedure begins with the removal of any plaque or other material that may be on the teeth. This is done to ensure the effectiveness of the whitening process. Then a whitening gel is applied.
A laser light is then applied to the gel in order to activate it. This increases the speed of the whitening process, as well as its effectiveness. The activation process works like this: crystals within the bleaching gel absorb the light’s energy, increasing its penetration of the teeth’s enamel and its teeth whitening power.
One of laser whitening’s greatest advantages is that satisfactory results are often achieved with just one treatment. This has served to make it the popular teeth whitening option that it has become. Occasionally though, more than one treatment may be required in order to whiten teeth to the degree the patient is looking for.
Are there any disadvantages to laser teeth whitening? A few. One is the price, which runs as much as $1000 per treatment, making it much more costly than other teeth whitening options. Another disadvantage is that occasionally teeth and gum soreness and pain results from the procedure, although it is typically only minor and relatively short lived.
Professional treatment in a dentist’s office is not the only option you have. There are many at home teeth whitening methods that employ a host of products available at your local pharmacy or supermarket. Among these products are teeth whitening strips, trays and toothpastes.
Trays yield the best results, but are often difficult to use properly. Toothpastes have never really proven to be all that effective. For both ease of use and effectiveness, whitening strips are a popular choice, although one major disadvantage is that a strip is unable to whiten an entire tooth.
Teeth whitening strips are designed to be used on either your bottom teeth or your top teeth, not both. They are made of plastic that have been coated beforehand with hydrogen peroxide, which serves as the whitening compound.
The peroxide whitening compound is applied as you press the strips securely onto your teeth. In order to see good results, they should be worn for about a half an hour twice each day over a two week period.