How to whiten stained teeth

How to whiten stained teeth.

How to whiten stained teeth

Although most of us would love to have the white, bright teeth that so many superstars seem to have in the magazines and on TV, most of us tend to find that as we get older our teeth get increasingly discoloured as a result of our lifestyles and the food or drink that we consume. In fact, even superstars often have discoloured teeth and their sparkling smiles in magazine are often the result of airbrushing. 

However, these days there are steps that can be taken to whiten your teeth and brighten your smile � without going to the huge expense that many celebrities probably go to in order to get their teeth whiter. If you are keen to know how to whiten stained teeth there are a number of options available, some of which are more effective than others. When you are considering how to whiten stained teeth you also need to take cost into consideration, as some measures for teeth whitening will be far more expensive than others.

Some of the option available to those keen to find out how to whiten stained teeth include:

* Have cosmetic surgery through a dental professional. Whilst this can be an effective way to whiten stained teeth it can take quite a few visits to get the desired results and more importantly can prove very costly

* Use teeth whitening toothpastes. Whilst there are a number of teeth whitening toothpastes around that claim to be able to restore the whiteness to your teeth, many of these can prove pretty ineffective on serious stains so you could end up with poor results 

* Try teeth home whitening kits. These are relatively inexpensive and there are many that can be very effective, although it is important to bear in mind that some are more effective than others. You can use these easily and quickly from the comfort of your own home, which means that you get to benefit from convenience as well as ease and affordability

Of course, the type of treatment that will be best suited to you will depend on the level of staining on your teeth, so each case must be looked at individually. However, it is always a good idea to consider the more cost effective methods that you can try yourself at home before opting for costly cosmetic surgery, as this could save you a lot of money in the long run.

The benefits of take home teeth whitening kits

The benefits of take home teeth whitening kits.

The benefits of take-home teeth whitening kits

With the types of foods and the kind of lives we lead today, many of us suffer from some discolouration of the teeth, with some having teeth that are more discoloured than others. It is only natural that over the course of time our teeth will lose the whiteness that they have when we are young, as they can become stained by everything from the foods that we eat and the things that we drink to lifestyle choices such as smoking and, of course, our own personal dental hygiene.

There was a time when those who wanted to try and restore some of the former whiteness to their teeth had to consider costly and time consuming dental cosmetic surgery, which many people could not afford. However, these days there are a number of home teeth whitening kits available, which can be used from the comfort of your own home.

The benefits of take-home teeth whitening kits are many, which is why these have become so popular amongst people that want to improve the appearance of their teeth and get a white, bright smile. Some of the benefits of take-home teeth whitening kits include:

* It is cheaper to opt for take home teeth whitening kits than to go for cosmetic treatments with a dentist

* It is more convenient to use these kits, as you can undertake the whitening process yourself from the convenience and comfort of your own home

* You can enjoy a choice of home teeth whitening kits these days, with something to suit most pockets

* You can carry out the tooth whitening process at a time and place that suits you

These are just of the benefits of take-home teeth whitening kits and with the products that are available becoming increasingly effective and affordable, more and more people are now able to get a dazzling smile and whiter teeth without having to spend a fortune or keep going to the dentists time after time.

Of course, in order to enjoy the benefits of take-home teeth whitening kits you need to ensure that you choose a kit that offers efficient results and is within your budget. It is a good idea to consider looking at reviews of various teeth whitening kits before you make your purchase, as this will enable you to see which ones are likely to be the most effective and make your purchase accordingly.

why dentists charge for whitening

why dentists charge for whitening

Why do Dentists Charge so Much to Whiten Teeth?

With the appearance of so many home teeth whitening kits on the market many people are questioning why you need go to the dentist and why a dentist charges so much. It is true that you can get very good results these days with a reputable home kit, but if you see a dentist it will cost you much more for a number of reasons: 

� You get individual attention, and the dentist can ensure that your teeth are suitable for whitening treatment in the first place. If you suffer from gum recession, for example, you might not be aware that you are liable to experience some sensitivity of the teeth following whitening treatment, especially if using a carbamide peroxide type of whitening treatment. 

You may have fillings or other restorations in your front teeth that you�re not aware of and these will not whiten like natural tooth substance. Your dentist can spot these and show you how to overcome this problem by whitening your teeth and then redoing the restorations to match.

� Your dentist can monitor your progress and make sure your teeth whitening is carried out in a safe way, and be ready to advise in case of any problems.

� Your dentist can either do whitening of your teeth in the chair using a concentrated gel plus light activation, or can have made special custom mouth trays that you can use with a slightly less concentrated gel at home. Either way you may achieve a faster result, although the use of peroxide gels is not without potential problems such as teeth sensitivity as previously mentioned.

� Your dentist is a professional like a doctor or lawyer and is entitled to charge fees that reflect the years of training that led to qualification.

� Your dentist is also a businessman offering a service and has overheads to pay before being able to make any profit. Rents and rates are high and the dentist gets no help with premises or staff from government sources, and therefore has to charge a fee that allows him or her to make a profit.

These factors explain why going to a dentist to whiten your teeth will cost you more than doing it yourself, and with the appearance of safe home whitening kits now, like Zero Peroxide, there really is no reason why you shouldn�t do it yourself and make a big saving.

How white can I get my teeth

How white can I get my teeth?

It is something of a myth that natural teeth are absolutely dead white. The teeth of a young person soon after they have appeared in the mouth can be close to perfect white, and they also have a degree of translucency which adds to their visual appeal, but they still have a degree of colouration in them. 

The pigmentation of teeth varies from person to person much like that of the eyes or hair, but as a general rule our teeth are fairly white when we are young but tend to get progressively darker with age. This is due in part to more tooth substance being gradually laid down inside the teeth which gradually diminishes the size of the cavity in the middle of the teeth where the nerves and blood vessels are, (the pulp), and gradually increases the density of tooth substance making the teeth look darker. 

The second reason teeth darken with age is due to absorption of stains over time due to smoking, or from food and drinks like tea and coffee.

Dentists use a shade guide to determine the right colours to make artificial crowns to match in with natural teeth, and such a shade guide is very useful when you set out to whiten your teeth as you can see the amount of improvement. Teeth generally have slight shades of yellow, pink, grey, or brown in them, and the actual hue doesn�t change as we get older, but rather the shade of the hue darkens. The whitest teeth are probably a shade B1 on the usual shade guide, and this is very white with just a faint hint of yellow. Another common shade found in natural teeth is a light greyish one and this would be C2 or C3 on a shade guide.

When you whiten your teeth they often go much whiter to begin with, maybe up to 5 shades, but then gradual settle down and end up about 2-3 shades whiter. So an older person with grey teeth due to smoking may start at C4 and expect to end up as C1-C2. This may not sound that dramatic, but indeed it is an extremely noticeable difference, and anyone with teeth the shade of C1 would be very happy. 

Similarly someone starting out at B4 with quite yellow teeth may expect to reach B1-B2 after a period of teeth whitening treatment. The �rebound� effect is inevitable and is probably partly due to some dehydration that occurs during the teeth bleaching process. 

This is reckoned not to be harmful but it does mean that you might want to take that into account. Severe dehydration is most likely to occur with �power� or �laser� whitening carried out in the dental chair, since a much more concentrated bleaching agent is used together with a powerful light. 

This dehydration accounts for the postoperative hypersensitivity of teeth often experienced for a while after power whitening. This effect is much less noticeable with home whitening treatments that are gentler in their action, especially with non-peroxide systems like Zero Peroxide.

The aim then, of whitening your teeth, is to make them lighter in colour, brighter, and more attractive looking. They should still look natural though, and not dead white like granny�s false teeth, otherwise they will look artificial too. If you choose a reliable whitening treatment that aims for up to 5 shades whiter and includes a shade guide with the kit or treatment, then you should be very satisfied with the final result

Non peroxide Vs peroxide

Non-Peroxide Vs Peroxide Teeth Whitening Kits

With so many different types of home whitening kits available on the market today, knowing which one to choose can be quite a challenging task. Till some time back, there were only peroxide teeth whitening kits available to people who wanted to lighten the colour of their teeth. However, now users also have the option of using non-peroxide teeth whitening kits to make their smile even brighter. Looking at a comparison between peroxide and non-peroxide teeth whitening kits means that you can make an informed choice about which one to use.

The active ingredient in all peroxide teeth whitening kits is a substance known as peroxide. It can be present in the teeth whitening kits in the form of hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. The type of ingredient that is used, and the strength that it is used in, varies from product to product. However, in non-peroxide teeth whitening products, no peroxide is used to bleach the teeth. The active ingredient used here is sodium bicarbonate.

Although peroxide has been used in teeth whitening kits for many years, recent medical reports have suggested that this chemical can be very harmful to human health. It is a known fact that peroxide teeth whitening kits can lead to burns on your gums or the soft tissue in your mouth. The chemical could also wear off the protective enamel layer on your teeth if it is too strong. However, the biggest concern with peroxide teeth whitening kits is that peroxide may also lead to mouth cancers.

Thankfully, since no peroxide is found in non-peroxide teeth whitening kits, all of the above risks do not apply to such products. Thus, when you use a non-peroxide product for making your teeth whiter, you do not have to worry about any kind of teeth damage or serious illnesses such as cancer. In addition to being extremely safe, sodium bicarbonate is also known to be much more effective than peroxide as far as teeth whitening goes. The whitening solution has to be applied for a shorter period and the results obtained are much better than anything you can get with peroxide teeth whitening products.

While there are many peroxide teeth whitening kits still available in the markets today, it is said that soon these will be banned in the UK, as well as all throughout Europe. This is mainly due to the dangerous side effects that are associated with the product. However, this will not apply to non-peroxide teeth whitening products as they are extremely safe to use.

how keep teeth white

How can I keep my teeth white?

White teeth are vital for an attractive smile, and nothing is more of an asset in our lives these days than having an attractive smile. We are born with nice white teeth, but we only get the one permanent set that has to last a lifetime. Inevitably our teeth will tend to darken somewhat with age, as they become less translucent, and that is a natural process we can do little about. 

There are though, things that can be done to keep our teeth as white as possible, and these revolve around two main principles: keeping our teeth clean; and avoiding food, drink, and habits that will cause discolouration.

Keeping our teeth clean is essential because the layer of sticky plaque that accumulates on our teeth daily attracts and holds stains right next to the tooth surfaces. The longer the plaque is there the greater the chance that stains will gradually permeate the enamel of the tooth surface and become fixed and permanent. The tooth enamel, although hard, is not impermeable. It is made up of a crystalline structure that will allow penetration and absorption of small molecules.

The layer of plaque on our teeth harbours not only stains, but bacteria too, and some of these can cause decay, which in the front teeth leads to disfiguring areas of white or brown enamel. If the decay process advances sufficiently to breach the enamel, then an unsightly dark patch results that only your dentist can fix. It is essential not to let decay get a hold in the first place by avoiding too much in the way of sweet foods and drinks.

The best way to clean your teeth is in a systematic and thorough method, using both a toothbrush and dental floss. If you are using an ordinary toothbrush you should first try to dislodge plaque at the gum edge with short, vibratory strokes, followed by longer strokes vertically towards the biting edge of the teeth. 

It is best to keep horizontal brush-strokes to the absolute minimum because, over time they cause a surprising amount of tooth abrasion leading to hypersensitivity. If you are using a power brush you simply need to hold it against the teeth for long enough to enable it to brush away plaque, say 10 seconds at each location. Whichever type of brush you�re using you should start at one corner of the mouth and gradually work your way round, giving attention to each surface of each tooth in turn. 

It is essential to look in a mirror whilst brushing to ensure you are covering all the teeth. Having brushed, it is time to floss using a small length held taut between the fingers and sliding it upwards from the gum edge to the biting surfaces of the teeth You are trying here, to scrape the plaque off the tooth surfaces and away, so you do not want to make see-sawing movements, but rather a clean, sweeping movement vertically upwards from the gum edge. 

This daily routine needs to be done at least once in a day, preferably twice, and may take more time than you realise when you start out to first clean this thoroughly. It becomes easier and quicker with practice though, and is certainly worth it!

The second part of keeping your teeth white is avoiding habits such as smoking because smoke darkens the teeth gradually, (as well as your skin). Foods that are themselves brightly coloured like turmeric can stain teeth quite markedly, so you need to be careful of curries and the like. 

Drinks such as tea, coffee, and red wine are also notorious for staining teeth, and are the main culprits for most of us. If you drink your coffee black, then you are especially susceptible to darkened teeth. The good news is that these stains do not become permanent straightaway so, if you are cleaning your teeth really well each day you can remove the stained film before too much of the discolouring compounds have actually penetrated the tooth enamel.

Cleaning your teeth regularly, carefully, and efficiently is the key to keeping your teeth naturally white. If you want to help them out, you can of course use a home whitening kit on an occasional basis, but use a reputable one such as the Zero Peroxide system.