Teeth Whitening Procedures – A Look At “At Home Teeth Whitening”
When it comes to whiten your teeth, it is important to know what you are doing. You only have one set of teeth, and you certainly don’t want to ruin them for life!
There are several teeth whitening procedures available today, ranging from the very expensive visits to a dentist to whiten your teeth at home. In this article we want to have a quick look at what’s available for at home teeth whitening.
More and more people these days are willing to try home teeth whitening as it seems like the most hassle free and inexpensive method to achieve a dazzling smile and get rid of stains and discoloration on your teeth. The industry has certainly responded to the increase in demand – many different types of at-home whitening treatments are readily available over-the-counter or online. Because there is such a multitude of teeth whitening products available is can be quite daunting to find the right one for you and your teeth.
You should consider how easy the whitening product will be to use for you, and how much money it will set you back, depending on your budget. Don’t be afraid to do a bit of research, or go down to your local pharmacy/chemist and ask them about what they have available!
Most do-it-yourself teeth whitening kits do contain a bleach which is supposed to whiten your teeth and restore the tooth enamel. Be aware that there might be products that will contain mild abrasive ingredients, and if they do, you cannot use them every day, you will have to limit them as overuse will actually start to damage your enamel.
As a teeth whitening procedure, at home teeth whitening products are the most popular, simply because they are the easiest to buy and quite often the cheapest option. There are, for example,
- Whitening Gels (over-the-counter) – They contain a high level of peroxide to bleach tooth enamel. Period of treatment: 1-3 weeks.
- Brush-on tooth whitening pastes – These are a scouring paste and the results from brushing with one of these will show only the slightest, if any, change in the color of your teeth. Tooth whitening pastes are abrasive so will have to be used cautiously, every other day over a period of 2 weeks or so. These pastes are readily available in the supermarkets. It will pay off to check out the pharmacies, too, though!
- Bleaching solutions in a mouthguard – They contains peroxide. The bleaching agent is usually placed in a mouthguard which is worn at night so the solution can work its magic. Period of treatment is around 1-2 weeks.
- Whitening strips – A plastic strip coated with an adhesive bleaching solution is placed on the surface of the teeth. As the bleaching agent is adhesive it will keep the strip in place. Treatment takes 1-2 weeks.
- Paint-on whitening applicator – This comes usually in form of a pen-like applicator to make the use of it easier. It will also take a couple of weeks of applying the bleaching solution to achieve some results.
No bleaching method can permanently whiten teeth, and all require repeated treatments
Minnesota Colleges, You are right, for a permanent white smile you will need to visit the dentist, but the “At Home Teeth Whitening Kits” can temporarily whiten your teeth when used on a regular (but not daily) basis.
Does teeth whiteners affect the enamel. I am little bit scared.
It depends – there are certainly abrasive teeth whiteners out there that do affect the enamel if used constantly. That’s why it is important to do the proper research on which whitener to use, and not to overuse them.
If you are afraid of damaging you enamel, then you should stick with natural teeth whitening products and methods. They might take a longer period of time to work, and for you to see some results, but at least you don;t have to be afraid of damaging your teeth.
To prevent discoloration of teeth brush them after every meal.
What type of teeth whitening products aid in removing intrinsic stains?
Teeth whitening is good. But it should not be done regularly. I recommend once in a month.
You can use several items present in your house for home teeth whitening. Things like baking soda and oranges are excellent for this.
Oranges? That sounds interesting!
baking soda has many purposes, including tooth whitening. Most dentists agree that it’s safe to use and works fairly quickly.
Good post! Whiter teeth can make you a more confident person overall.
The importance of having white teeth has to do with one’s health. White teeth mean healthy teeth while discoloration is a sign of plaque and tartar buildup on the enamel of the teeth. These buildups can lead to teeth problems such as holes in the teeth, cavities, gingivitis, bad breath, gum diseases such as periodontitis, and many other teeth ailments.
Home teeth whitening is much cheaper than surgeries, besides you can at home you can use teeth whitening kits, which are much cheaper than surgeries and dentist services.
You can also eat an apple every day or brush your teeth twice a day with teeth whitening toothpaste!
I don’t think that home remedies are effective. I’ve tried almost everything but I’m not satisfied with the result.
Old people from our country also recommend using oranges or “dalandan” (our native orange) to help in whitening teeth. I have not really tried it, but I am fascinated to know that other parts of the world had experience with this. I thought this method was just another cultural fallacy. Nice discussion here…!
Hi lawschool,
I agree with you. It is important that we only use whitening products for teeth once a month so as not to damage the enamel coating of our teeth. It will also help us if we will talk this matter with our dentist first.
There are home remedies that are really effective but some are not. Choose the best one but be careful on using it, excessive and improper use of these may result to dental problems.