If you’ve ever wanted perfect white teeth, you’re not alone!
A pearly white smile can make us feel good about ourselves, giving us the right amount of confidence necessary to get through life.
The benefits of whiter teeth include a younger appearance, a more glamorous and overall cleaner look. The road to whiter, brighter teeth is now simple, as teeth whitening procedures have become a staple of the cosmetic dentistry industry. As a very common cosmetic procedure, you can count on your dentist to provide you with simple, fast and effective results.
Teeth whitening patients often wonder how their teeth got stained in the first place and how they can prevent it from happening. The truth is, teeth staining is caused by a combination of various lifestyle and environmental factors such as natural aging, tobacco use, drinking coffee, tea, soft drinks, wine and eating highly pigmented food. While some of these things are preventable, teeth staining will still gradually occur throughout the years as a result of other natural causes.
Initially, a layer gradually forms on top of the enamel layer and the foreign material accumulates to form a film over your teeth. This accumulation of plaque and bacteria makes our teeth stained and colored, then these foreign materials get deep into the outer layer, working their way down into the tooth where you can’t simply scour them away. People are typically drawn to ineffective “do-it-yourself” teeth whitening kits which don’t succeed in whitening the teeth because they only work on the outer layer of the teeth, ignoring the inside of the teeth, where the actual stains are! Going to the dentist for this procedure will save you time and money.
There are two proven medical treatments to whiten teeth using the chemicals CarbidePeroxide or Hydrogen Peroxide. These materials, when applied under the supervision of a dentist, can be highly effective. The first method is a simpler and safer method with minimal discomfort which takes place during an in-office treatment where the teeth and gums are covered for protection before applying the whitening gel, then the whitening gel is applied to the teeth, and they are exposed to a special light called Zoom. This procedure breaks up stains and brightens the teeth. When the treatment is over, a sensitivity reducing gel is applied. The second method is the home system method. It involves a dentist taking impressions (molds) of your mouth and then creating soft custom mouth trays where the patient is expected to apply the treatment at home. The treatment involves having the patient to apply a thin strip of the gel into the tray and wear it for two hours during the day, or while sleeping. This method usually takes a period of up to two weeks for results to show.
A combination of in-office and at-home systems can achieve up to 5 – 8 shades of whitening in most patients. These procedures are considered safe and effective when monitored by a dentist. It is recommended that before the tooth whitening treatment is started, dentists clean a patient’s teeth, fill any cavities and make sure the patient’s gums are healthy. The dentist can also help decide what type of tooth whitening is required in-office, at-home or both and the concentration of the whitening gels. The dentist can monitor and treat patients who experience sensitivity to the whitening agents and modify the procedure for those who are having difficulty getting optimal results.
However, it must be noted that not all teeth discoloration respond to tooth-Whitening treatments. Individuals contemplating tooth-whitening should consult with a dentist to determine the cause of the tooth discoloration and to determine whether a bleaching treatment will have the desired result. This step is especially important for patients with fillings, root canal treatments and crowns.
Finally, the dentist can help the patient explore other cosmetic dental options such as porcelain or resin veneers, and tooth colored fillings with or without tooth whitening. With the help of the dentist, the patient’s cosmetic dental goals may be more easily attained. teeth whitening is safe and effective, and have not shown to cause any damage to the enamel of the tooth. However, if tooth sensitivity or gum irritation occurs it is usually slight and reversible, but you might consider not using the whiteners so frequently!
Dr. Yousra Yahia Bakhit
GP Dentist
Al Hafiz International Hospital
