White teeth communicate good hygiene, and are generally associated with good health and even play a role in physical attraction. The older you get, the darker your teeth become, and thus, white teeth are even associated with youth.
Over the years the market has been flooded with all kinds of solutions for whiter teeth, especially miracle paste that supposedly whitens your teeth quickly and at a very low cost. The truth however is that these solutions seldom work. So how do you choose a whitening product that really works? The best solution is to ask a professional in the field to advise you on the available options. Ask people you know that have successfully whitened their teeth. Even ask your friends and family that have tried the magical pasts that they sell on the shopping television channel at 3 am.
The active ingredients of most products are always the same, Carbamide Peroxide or Nitrogen Peroxide both in various concentrations. Carbamide Peroxide is generally used at 10 – 16% with a maximum of 20% concentration. At the dentist Hydrogen Peroxide is mostly used at a maximum concentration of 35%. So which is the ideal concentration of these ingredients? All concentrations whiten your teeth to some extent. The real secret is in the method used for applying these ingredients. A badly applied solution can cause irritation.
When using a whitening treatment it is the enamel of the teeth that becomes whiter. The thicker your enamel, the more effective the treatment will be. If your dentine is dark (yellow or brown) your teeth will whiten less than others. This means that treatments that have worked for some, might not work (as effective) for others. A proper dental examination is therefore crucial in order to obtain good results.
So how can we best apply whitening solutions? There are various technologies available to stimulate the whitening effect of the available gel solutions. There is Dental Laser, LED lights, Plasma Arc lamps, Halogen lamps, heat systems etc. The effect and the speed with which your teeth will whiten depend on the gel type, the technical system used and on the professional applying the solution. Whitening is only a part of getting a nicer smile; you might also need to correct the position of your teeth and other small changes to achieve that smile you always wanted. It is therefore very important to first have your mouth examined properly, before applying any solution.
Whitening your teeth really does work when done properly by a professional. There are no magic tricks, and it really is necessary to know in what condition your teeth are in order to determine the proper whitening solution for you.
This article has been submitted by Dr. Juan Carlos Briones Valenzuela.
Do you want whiter teeth? Come to Clínica Implantología Oral Dr. Briones for a free diagnostic.