Teeth Whitening has always been a popular choice for patients wanting to whiten their smile without turning to more invasive dental procedures. Ancient Egyptian civilizations recognized the beauty enhancements of having white teeth – and developed a paste of pumice and wine vinegar to apply to teeth in an attempt to remove surface stains. Thankfully technology and ingredients have advanced significantly since the Egyptians were churning out their form of remedy – enabling today’s beauty seekers to attain a brighter, whiter smile with minimal time commitment.
Teeth whitening can be a great option for patients wanting to address staining caused by aging, coffee, wine, tea and tobacco products. It should be mentioned that Teeth Whitening Systems are not always effective in lightening staining that is a result of certain medications – as this type of tooth discoloration tends to be intrinsic (inside the tooth) and therefore doesn’t respond to the whitening agents in the same manner as superficial staining. The degree of whiteness attained varies from patient to patient and is influenced by the natural color of an individual’s teeth and the composition of their tooth structure.
If you are contemplating whitening your teeth there are a few limitations that you should be aware of. Teeth Whitening Solutions will not whiten teeth that have crowns or veneers on them – it will not lighten teeth that have had root canal therapy, as the darkness is an internal condition – it will not whiten teeth permanently and may require further treatments periodically to restore the level of whiteness a patient desires. And Teeth Whitening is best accomplished after a thorough dental cleaning – so that tooth surfaces are free from plaque and are able to respond to the whitening gel.
The teeth whitening process begins with your dentist taking impressions to make custom bleaching trays that will fit over your top and bottom teeth. Your whitening kit will contain syringes of whitening gel – a small amount of gel is inserted in to each tray before wearing – and the trays are worn anywhere from one hour to overnight – depending on the system you are using.
Tooth sensitivity can be a side-effect of whitening your teeth – but it’s a temporary discomfort that eases once the whitening process has been completed.
Deciding if you need to whiten your teeth is really up to you. If you are bothered by dull teeth that have picked up some stains then discuss teeth whitening options with your SE Calgary Dentist and see if it’s right for you.