HEALTHY LIVING RESULTS

Some time during your life, you probably are going to see something about white teeth on television, and then you are going to look in the mirror and smile; you probably will see that your teeth are not as white as the teeth you see on television. So, you might consider whitening your teeth. Should you?

There are no simple teeth whitening procedures; all take a considerable amount of time or money, oftentimes both. Whitening teeth is not just something you do without a second thought, as there are also some health risks. Think hard about it before deciding to do it.

Teeth whitening can be done with over-the-counter products or with lasers. Over-the-counter products are, naturally, easy to get, while lasers require visiting a health and beauty spa or a dentist, dentist being the most common. The more effective teeth whiteners require the products to sit on your teeth for a long period.

The Amount of Time Needed

Teeth whitening products, which you can buy over-the-counter, are usually required to be used for up to an hour a day and take anywhere from 7 to 14 days of use before the whitening effect is achieved. During that time, you cannot do much else; you cannot eat, drink, smoke, etc.

Do You Even Need to Whiten Your Teeth?

Teeth whitening products are good for people with seriously stained teeth. You might have seriously stained teeth if you have been drinking lots of coffee or tea for a very long time, or you might have teeth like this if you have had braces which stained your teeth. Just make sure you are not “white-orexic” and obsessed with getting your teeth whiter and whiter. Some people will whiten their teeth so much that it looks strange and unnatural.

Your teeth should look normal/normal-white. If they do, you do not need a whitening treatment. White teeth are a nice thing to have, but it can be easily overdone. You will look silly if you whiten your teeth too much.

Are your teeth or gums sensitive?

If you have sensitive teeth or gums, teeth whitening products can be uncomfortable or even unbearable. Whiteners can, and often do, cause tooth and gum sensitivity in even people with normal mouths; this can last anywhere from 24 to 48 hours, and sometimes it can be permanent.

Sensitivity that sticks around forever usually only occurs after heavy, long-term whitening. People who follow the directions on the box and use their whitening products in moderation will not use these long enough to experience this, for the most part. However, please understand that permanent sensitivity is a possibility.

You can use Sensodyne or another sensitive-teeth toothpaste during the period before, during, and shortly after your teeth whitening procedure. In fact, we recommend you do, even if your teeth normally are not sensitive, as sensitivity is a very common side effect even in those who have normally non-sensitive teeth.

The decision is yours in the end. Regardless of which teeth whitening treatment you choose, you should make sure to educate yourself before going through with it. Everyone is different, so read the risks and benefits of all of them, do not get caught up in what others think, and finally, choose the product or treatment that is best for you. Happy whitening!

Cody Scholberg, a teeth whitening guru, is an expert on teeth whitening products. Check out his reviews of Crest’s Whitestrips before you buy them!

Cosmetic 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.