There are two kinds of stains that cause teeth discoloration: extrinsic and intrinsic stains. The first type is usually caused by lifestyle while the latter one is more sophisticated because it can be either caused by age that results to the thinning of the enamel of the tooth making the dark-colored internal tooth layer more visible or by trauma that resulted to the death of the nerve ending of a tooth. Extrinsic stains can be caused by smoking or chewing tobacco; excessive drinking of colored drinks, tea, red wine and coffee; eating of fruits that contain a lot of pigments like berries and cherries; and tartar accumulation resulting to hardened yellowing plaque because of not brushing, flossing and rinsing in a regular basis.
Teeth are whitened depending on the cause of the discoloration. If the stains are internal, the teeth can be bleached using hydrogen peroxide solution and low-grade laser. The dentist will decide upon the concentration of the whitening solution depending of the stubbornness of the stain on the teeth and on the teeth structure. Moreover, if the stain is extrinsic, the dentist may just perform a through dental cleaning and remove the stain that is caused by plaque or by deposits left by tobacco and other high-staining foods.
How to Whiten Teeth?
You can choose to whiten your teeth either in your dentist’s office or in the convenience of your home. In-office whitening is often more effective (and more expensive) but there are effective whitening systems you can use at home which can give you acceptable results. The whitening systems might be dispensed by your dentist, bought over the counter or mixed on your own.
1. Home Whitening
Because of the cost of professional whitening, many people resort to home-based teeth whitening. It is often cheaper to commission a dentist to prepare a whitening system for you than to let them do everything. However, it is much cheaper if you simply make a whitening solution yourself! Combining grocery-bought baking soda and hydrogen peroxide solution will give you a whitening “tooth paste” which you can use once a week. Rinsing your mouth with a 3% or 10% hydrogen peroxide solution will also drastically improve the shade of your teeth. However, home remedies often take weeks or months before you can see visible results. You can also use over the counter teeth whitening kits to whiten your teeth. These products contain hydrogen peroxide as well and are very easy to use. Just make sure that you follow every instruction in the label of such products in order to avoid any incidents from happening. Be reminded too that hydrogen peroxide is harmful when ingested so be very careful not to shallow anything, whether home-made or not, that contains this weak oxidizing acid.
2. In-Office Whitening
Although professional whitening is more costly than any other method, this is the surest way to lighten the shade of your teeth. In fact, with professional whitening, it takes only about 30 to 60 minutes to get a shade 5 to 7 times lighter than the original shade of your teeth. Dentists use a bleaching agent with high concentrations and apply it directly on the surface of your teeth. Rubber protectors are fitted over your gums and the other exposed areas of your mouth to “protect” them from the bleaching solution. The teeth is then exposed to low grade laser in order to over excite the whitening agent and hasten the whitening process.
How to Keep Your Teeth White?
Many people who have recently undergone a teeth whitening treatment would often complain about staining their teeth again a couple of weeks after they are whitened. It should be kept in mind that teeth whitening are not permanent and in order to lengthen the “whiteness” of treated teeth, they have to be maintained and worked on. To prevent teeth discoloration, one should avoid the causes of extrinsic stains already mentioned above. On top of that, the teeth should be regularly brushed and flossed. Every after meal, one should rinse his or her mouth thoroughly in order to wash away any food fragment that might have remained in between teeth. Regular visits to the dentist should also be put into practice.
