Tooth Whitening Basics
A brilliant white smile is what everybody wants. For this reason, many people spend money and time to address the stains that have marred their "perfect" smile. To achieve a white smile, people can visit their dentist for a professional cleaning (for a professional price) or buy the do-it-yourself tooth whitening kit at any local pharmacy.
Hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide are two of the chemicals used most commonly for this purpose. The difference between the two is the potency and power of the chemicals when applied to the teeth.Dentists use a powerful hydrogen peroxide gel under closely monitored conditions. The lower strength carbamide gel product is used for "at-home" tooth whitening efforts. The carbamide gel has to be used for a much longer period to produce the same or similar results as the hydrogen peroxide treatments.
Why do teeth lose their whiteness? Tooth discoloration can happen as a person ages even if he/she doesn’t drink tea or coffee or smoke or grind their teeth, the most common factors affecting tooth whiteness. People are born with a unique interior tooth color that becomes gradually visible with the loss of tooth enamel through contact large doses of fluoride, and medical or physical trauma. This type of staining is known as "intrinsic staining".
Though both these types of discoloration can be improved, the final result chiefly depends on the age and level of yellowing of the patient’s teeth. Additionally, not all intrinsic stains can be completely whitened through whitening efforts and a good dentist or technician will discuss this with their patient during consultation.
To have the process performed by a trained professional takes fifteen to twenty minutes. The patient will have to wear a mouth guard, and have a “rubber dam” painted on the gums. The peroxide gel is then spread over the teeth, and all it takes is a few minutes for the whitening process to be done. A take-home kit is usually sent home with the patient to tackle the more persistent stains or just for maintenance. Patients are advised to not smoke, to avoid dark colored food and drinks, and to not drink through a straw for a number of days after the treatment.
Dentists sometimes sell take home kits with the requisite tools to the patient, but the peroxide gel provided with the kit is not as strong as the one used in the dental office.
The take-home tooth whitening kits, though, generally produce very good results over the course of a week. But this easy-to-use and cheaper alternative cannot remove all intrinsic or deeper discoloration.