sparkling white teeth

Why Teeth Whitening? Enamel Examined

Discoloured teeth are very unsightly and a very unattractive feature of a person. No one would want to be referred to as the ‘one with the yellow teeth’. It is not unusual by any means to have stained teeth; it is really to be expected with our poor diets and lifestyle. 

Our teeth can become stained through medication and naturally with age. Some people are just unlucky and are born with naturally very yellow teeth, although the advantage to this is that naturally yellow teeth are thought to be a lot stronger than naturally very white teeth. 

This is little comfort though because sparkling white teeth denote health and are very nice to look at, a set of yellow, discoloured teeth are not. You only get one set of teeth so it is wise that you look after the ones you’ve got! There is hope though because there are a number of ways in which you can achieve a bright, white healthy smile.

Surface stains can more often than not be removed by a proper, thorough cleaning by a dentist or hygienist; they can remove some surface (extrinsic) stains caused by tea or coffee or certain foods. However the deeper rooted stains (intrinsic) will only be removed by one method and that is teeth whitening. 

There are various, inexpensive ways in which you can brighten up your smile yourself, toothpastes, gels, strips, tooth whitening pens etc. Even natural remedies, it is believed that rubbing strawberries onto your teeth and gargling with apple cider vinegar can act as natural whiteners. But the most efficient and guaranteed way of doing this; albeit not the cheapest way, is professional teeth whitening.

Professional teeth whitening is generally performed by a dentist, who will check that, your teeth and gums are healthy enough to undergo the procedure and if so, will apply a rubber shield or gel over the gums to protect them. Then a whitening gel/product is applied to the teeth, hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide (which is more common nowadays) using a specially made mouth tray that is specially formed to fit the individuals mouth and teeth just the same as a gum shield.  

A blue laser light is normally used to quicken the process which can take up to an hour in some cases. As the peroxide is slowly broken down, oxygen gets into the enamel of the teeth and the tooth colour is then made lighter. It will not completely change the colour of a tooth and only natural teeth are suitable for this procedure, any dental restorative work, crowns, caps, veneers etc will not be lightened in this method and may have to be replaced or specially cleaned. 

It also may or may not require additional visits to the dental surgery, but you can prolong the whiteness at home using special whitening toothpastes and gels. Results overall can last for a couple of years depending on your diet but your dentist will be able to advise you on this.