Tooth whitening has been available for over 15 years, and has become more
and more popular. Whitening treatments are used to improve the appearance
of teeth, by removing stains. It should be noted that the natural colour of teeth
will vary from person to person, and teeth will naturally darken with age.
There are two types of stains that cause teeth to discolour; external stains and
internal stains. External stains are a result of the accumulation of surface
stains caused by certain foods or drinks such as soy sauce, coffee, tea, red
wine, as well as tobacco products. Internal stains can result from certain
antibiotics, excessive fluoride in the water and dental trauma.
Tooth whiteners are of two different classes, surface whiteners and bleaching
agents. Surface whiteners employ mild abrasives to remove surface stains.
They are often found in products such as toothpastes or chewing gums. They
will produce a mild effect on the appearance of the tooth.
Bleaching agents employ peroxide products to bleach the tooth. They work
well on natural teeth, and results depend on the concentration and type of
bleaching agent used.
Certain discolourations however, will not respond to bleaching agents. Your
dentist will help determine if this treatment approach is appropriate for r
your teeth. It is important to note existing fillings and crowns will not change
colour during whitening treatment. Sometimes such restorations need to be
changed after teeth whitening to match the new lighter colour of the teeth.
Bleaching products are available over the counter or through your dentist. The
primary difference is that over the counter products are much milder in
concentration that those available through your dentist, hence results tend to
be less noticeable.
Dentists employ primarily two types of bleaching products. The first involves
fabrication of custom made trays for each jaw. These trays are filled with
bleaching agents and worn for part of each day for usually 10-28 days. The
second type of bleaching products give immediate results; they involve a
single visit to your dentist during which your teeth are isolated, and a highly
concentrated bleaching agent as well as light and/or heat is applied to your
teeth. Such products have been featured on makeover shows that are abound
on TV nowadays.
With any teeth whitening treatment, tooth sensitivity and soft tissue irritation
may occur, but effects are transient.
We believe the best dentistry is the least amount of treatment necessary to achieve optimum oral and dental health.