Whitening

Whitening

Bleaching and non-bleaching products are the two basic kinds of whitening products
available today.

Non-bleaching products normally use abrasives or chemicals and only remove
surface stains on teeth.

Bleaching products work with a chemical called peroxide and can brighten your teeth
several shades.

Another process employs the use of a special gel that is placed inside a flexible
device you wear around your teeth for a certain period of time. After you remove the
device, you must use a second bleaching agent, followed by a special light to
activate the chemical action.

Mildly stained teeth usually only require one session of bleaching.

Whitening procedures can effectively restored the smile of people with stained, dull,
or discolored teeth.

The darker tissue of your teeth, the dentin, can become exposed as the outer layer
of enamel is worn away by the effects of aging.

Also, food particles are naturally attracted to a tooth's enamel by a certain protein.
Products like coffee and tea, berries and soy sauce are notorious for staining teeth.
Over time, teeth actually become more absorbent and vulnerable to staining from
food and other substances.

Certain types of internal stains, including those caused by traumatic injuries,
medications, and fluorosis are not affected by brushing and flossing. Another type of
internal stain-one that can be more easily attacked by brushing, flossing and
rinsing-is caused by extrinsic factors such as foods.

More and more people today are choosing tooth-whitening procedures to reverse
the effects of aging and staining from foods and tobacco.

Some commercially available "whitening toothpastes" can be somewhat effective at
removing stains. However, many of these products have abrasive substances that
can actually wear away your tooth's enamel.

Bleaching agents actually change the color of your teeth, but only are effective on
certain types of stains. For example, bleaching agents have a difficult time removing
brownish or grayish stains. These products also are not as effective on pitted or
badly discolored teeth, or on restorations such as crowns, bridges, bonding and
tooth-colored fillings.

Over-the-counter whitening systems are somewhat effective as long as they are
monitored and directions followed closely.