Types of Tooth Whitening

Answer 1

Tooth whitening procedures are done to brighten a smile that may have become stained or dim over time. Foods and beverages, like red wine and chocolate, can make teeth less white. Medications and lifestyle choices, such as smoking, may darken teeth as well. Tooth whitening procedures help lift stains and bleach the tooth surface to create whiter brighter teeth. According to Harvard Health Publications, procedures for making teeth whiter will range from over-the-counter products purchased in retail stores to dentist office procedures.

Over-the-Counter Products

Over-the-counter, or OTC, products include strips, gels and rinses. Rinses are liquids that are used like mouthwashes to gently whiten teeth as it passes over the enamel. Gels are thicker liquids that can be left on the teeth for a set time limit and then removed. They have a bit more intense bleaching than rinses. Strips are like the gel products, but stay in place without the need for a mouthpiece or applicator.

All of the OTC products have peroxide as the main bleaching ingredient and may cause some tooth sensitivity in some people. Check with your dentist if you have a question about peroxide use or if your teeth have begun to ache or show sensitivity to heat/cold from using OTC tooth whitening products.

Dentist Services

Dentist tooth whitening can include in office bleaching, pulp bleaching or custom home bleaching. In office tooth whitening, or bleaching, has the dentist putting on a gel to the tooth surface and then exposing the teeth to a laser or light to increase the bleaching effect. This may cost several hundred dollars but will last for a couple of years. It too uses a form of peroxide in a higher concentration. Custom home bleaching uses a mold made from your own mouth. The gel is worn for an hour and can cost a few hundred dollars. Lastly, there is pulp bleaching. When the pulp of the tooth is dark because of disease, it can be bleached while undergoing a root canal. This may result in whiter teeth, but only when the cause of the tooth not being white is from pulp damage.

Dentist tooth whitening procedures use a higher concentration of peroxide than is found in OTC products. They can also utilize lasers and light therapy to enhance the effect of the bleaching agents.