All you need to know about teeth whitening

Excerpt: White teeth have been a symbol of status and wealth for thousands of years. While physical beauty standards...

Posted on: October 15, 2021

What Is Teeth Whitening?

Teeth whitening is a cosmetic dentist procedure that is meant to make your teeth whiter, this can be accomplished using different methods. A person can choose to white there teeth at home, or in-office at a dental clinic.

Teeth Whitening Trivia

Even the ancient Egyptians whitened teeth with a paste consisting of ground pumice stone and vinegar.
You can use everything from lights and chemical agents to mouthwash to whiten your teeth.
You can damage your teeth with some DIY whitening kits if the procedure is done incorrectly.

White teeth has been a symbol of status and wealth for thousands of years. While physical beauty standards are constantly changing and progressing, white teeth have always, and most likely will always be the standard people will try to aspire to.

How can I whiten my teeth?

Since white teeth are such a desirable feature, there are lots of different methods and products that have been invented to whiten your teeth. If you are considering trying one of these methods, you should consult your dentist if you have:

Sensitive teeth
Dental restorations
Very dark stains or a single dark tooth
Lots of fillings or crowns

If your dentist gives you the O.K. to whiten, then you have lots of options to choose from! Here are a few of the solutions available:

If you do buy a at home solution, or make a DIY solution please research the ingredients and read the instructions carefully. Teeth whitening strategies can be damaging to your teeth or dental appliances if they are not done carefully.

Is teeth whitening safe?

Teeth whitening is quite safe, some issues may arise with increased teeth sensitivity and gum irritation. However, the gum irritation is generally due to an ill-fitting mouth tray, so assuming the tray is fitted correctly there should be no irritation.

As long as you are supervised by an oral healthcare specialist, then whitening should carry few if any risks.

Professional Teeth Whitening

At Smiles Dental Group, we use in-office Zoom whitening. This method takes up to an hour and can make your teeth 8-10 shades lighter! It works by having the patient hold a bright, blue LED light in their mouth that will shine on their teeth. Are you skeptical about the effectiveness of light to whiten teeth? We use it because it has been scientifically proven to work.

How does zoom teeth whitening work?

If you shine a blue LED light into your mouth, nothing will happen, believe us we tried. Zoom whitening works by using a activation agent that is applied to the teeth. This agent comes in the form of a gel, which is activated by the light which then starts the whitening process.

If you’re interested in the hard science behind Zoom Whitening, you can read their publicly available literature here.

Teeth Whitening Kits

There are a few effective teeth whitening kits out there, one of the more effective kits is the Crest 3D White White Strips with Light. This product uses a similar method to Zoom by applying a low dosage hydrogen peroxide based gel to your teeth and shining a light on it. The affects are also fairly long lasting as they may last up to 3 years!

If you want to whitening your teeth with a light kit, we recommend making an appointment at Smiles Dental Group since our method is similar, and you have dentist supervision!

DIY (do It Yourself) Teeth whitening

We really don’t recommend this option as you can damage your teeth if you made the solution wrong, or did the process wrong. It’s also the least reliable as you will have to remake the solution for each session and this can lead to errors and miscalculations.

However, in case you wish to proceed with this method, here is sample solution to whiten your smile at home

Mix a teaspoon of baking soda and a half teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide.
Stir the solution until it resembles a toothpaste-like consistency.
Start brushing with the paste.
Keep it in your mouth for up to 60 sec after (don’t leave it for longer than this!)
Spit out the paste and thoroughly rinse your mouth.

Toothpaste & Chewing Gum

Toothpaste & chewing gum remove surface stains and do what they can to protect future stains, however, if your teeth have really bad stains they may not be sufficient enough. If your teeth have stains that do go deeper than the surface these solutions will not work for you. But just in case your teeth have surface stains, here is how most teeth whitening toothpaste work, they contain:

Special abrasives that polish the tooth
Peroxide and other chemicals that remove stains.

Chewing gums similarly have abrasive substances in them which will polish your teeth as they chew.

Teeth Bleaching

Bleaching is another popular tactic used by dentists, this involves a bleach based solution and a light is shined on your teeth to speed up the process. A protective gel may also be applied to your gums before the bleach solution is applied to your teeth. The dentist may also offer a take home solution, in these kits, the bleach is generally mixed in at lower solution then the in-office mix since it will be safer in a smaller amount.

How can I Prevent Stains?

You can do a lot to prevent stains, the best thing to do is practice good oral care, keep your gums healthy to, and stay away from foods that are bad for teeth!

You should also make sure you’re getting a healthy amount of daily fluoride, this will help to maintain your healthy teeth! If you aren’t getting enough fluoride your teeth may be too weak to stop cavities! Did you know vaping can affect your teeth as well? It’s not quite as bad as smoking, but nicotine can still stain your teeth!

Our Conclusion on teeth whitening

We think teeth whitening is great for those that want a whiter smile, we also think you should be very aware of the product you’re using. It’s always better get it done by a professional, or under the supervision of a professional though. If you have benefits, getting your teeth whitened in-office makes more sense than buying a kit since your benefits can cover whitening and make it even more affordable.

If you want to try teeth whitening, but you don’t know where to start, call us today!

How much does whitening cost?

Our in-office Zoom whitening costs $189.

How long will whitening take?

Usually less than an hour, and your teeth will be up to 10 shades whiter!

Is Zoom better than other methods?

We use Zoom because it works!