Whitening

Tooth whitening is just one of man’s many innovations to fulfill his cosmetic desires. No wonder, it is the most sought after cosmetic dental procedure. Tooth whitening is available in various forms and procedures (in fact every possible form you can think of).

Let us outline the various methods of tooth whitening that are commonly used by people.

Tooth Whitening Strips

Whitening strips have been extensively seen via advertising media in recent times. They contain carbamide peroxide which is also employed in other tooth whitening products. Your teeth need to be fairly straight for whitening to be effective and stain can reduce its effectiveness. It will also take a long time to achieve results.

Tooth Whitening Paste

These are available over the counter and are priced slightly higher than your regular toothpaste. They are used the same way as your regular toothpaste and they claim to have whitening effects. The contain sodium bicarbonate which works mainly by removing stain on teeth. People brushing with whitening toothpaste several times per day, especially if the paste is abrasive, may be doing more damage than good.

Tooth Whitening Trays

These come in the one size fits all whitening trays or custom fit trays made by the dentist for the patient. The custom fitted trays are preferable since they tend to be more effective and easier to work with. They also keep the gel from coming into contact and irritating the gums. This method requires wearing the trays with whitening gel in the mouth for a fixed period and number of times each day. The gel contains Carbamide Peroxide with concentrations of around 10-35%. They have been shown to be reasonably effective in many cases although the one-size-fits-all has been often shown to be ineffective due to improper contact of the whitening gel against the teeth.

In-Office Tooth Whitening

This is the most sought after cosmetic treatment for whitening teeth and also the most effective. In-office tooth whitening is carried out by dentists and staff and includes the popular procedure known as Zoom. The teeth are cleaned and the soft tissue is isolated from the teeth. A special gel containing carbamide peroxide is then applied on your teeth. A special light is used to activate this gel which accounts for its rapid actions. Often called “laser” teeth whitening, most of the time a halogen light is the light that is used with the photo-activators in the gel.