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Unfortunately, not only pages of old books, but also our teeth turn yellow. That’s why, whitening is necessary for everyone. The process of yellowing is natural, but it spoils our smile and shows our age. So what’s the matter? Teeth are shining white thanks to the enamel – external protective layer. In the course of time, enamel gets thinner and yellow dentin – inner substance of the teeth - comes through. If you like a lot of sweets, you should know that your teeth will yellow very quickly. Why? Sugar is mixed with bacteria that live in the mouth, as a result, excreted acid damages the enamel and covers the teeth with tiny pores. These pores collect coffee, tea, berry, red wine, juice, cola pigments and other coloring elements. Cigarettes and dental calculus also leave visible traces on your teeth.
Nowadays modern stomatology represents a lot of procedures on teeth whitening, which can return shine and whiteness to your smile.
Professional whitening (ZOOM technology)
Professional whitening is usually made in dental clinics or special centers. It is very popular. But what is it? Dentist isolates teeth from gums and oral cavity, then applies whitening ZOOM gel (it consists 20-30 % of hydrogen peroxide), which is activated with a special lamp light. Then doctor treats your teeth with fluorine to strengthen teeth enamel. One procedure is enough to make your teeth lighter on 8 tints! It should be mentioned that nowadays dental clinics use also ZOOM-2 technology which not only whitens the teeth, but also treats them, renewing the enamel.
The price of this procedure is from 400 to 1200 dollars.
This type of whitening can’t be used by people with heightened sensitivity of mouth mucous membrane and teeth.
Laser whitening
Laser whitening resembles professional whitening in dental clinic. It differs by the use of laser to activate whitening substance. But the professionals, followers of this method, believe that it is more effective, the result is visible immediately after the procedure. Two-three procedures change the color on few tints. The principle of the procedure is easy - hydrogen peroxide gel is applied on the teeth and every tooth is lighted with a laser. Time of the laser radiation on every tooth is no more then 2 minutes. The advantages of this method are – the process is quick, absolutely painless, it is done without anesthesia and remains for many years. Of course it is advisable to quit smoking after the procedure and not to use coloring products, so that you won’t have to do the procedure again. The disadvantage of this procedure is its high price. The cost of whitening is from 800 up to 2000 dollars.
Home whitening
There is one more way of teeth whitening at home, it is also called “night whitening”. You can do it yourself, after the consult with your dentist. How does it work? Dentist takes the dental models of your teeth and then makes plastic cases. These cases are filled with special whitening substance, then put on the teeth and left for the night or for 1-2 hours during the day. The duration of the procedure depends on teeth sensitivity. This whitening substance is less concentrated then in clinic whitening (about 3% of hydrogen peroxide). This whitening takes about 2 weeks. Smokers would have to spend more time on it. The effect will last for a long time, practically the same as after the professional procedure. The advantage is that you have the cases and you can use them again.
Among latest novelties in teeth whitening at home there are Blend-a-med White Strips – special strips with whitening substance, which should be put on the teeth. It isn’t very convenient, and the space between the teeth can’t be whitened.
We should also mention Colgate Simply White whitening gel, which is applied on the teeth with a brush, it remains on the teeth till it is washed off by saliva. Whitening course should last from 10 to 14 days. The result is visible, but it isn’t as significant as after professional whitening.
Folk methods
Those who don’t believe in modern medicine and tries to follow grandma’s advices can try to rub their teeth with lemon peel (white side) or to rinse teeth with lemon juice. Some people use birch ashes with salt to whiten their teeth. To remove dental deposit you can use any abrasives from baking soda to river sand.
Whitening tooth-pastes
Nowadays there are a lot of tooth-pastes advertisements that try to convince us that we can whiten our teeth for a low price and with minimum effort. Usually such pastes contain dissolvent or abrasives, which remove stains from enamel surface. These pastes should necessarily correspond to strict requirements of effectiveness and safety. Unfortunately, these two things are incompatible, that’s why the result of the paste is not so stunning, compared to the result of professional procedures. Besides, frequent use of whitening tooth-pastes with abrasives can negatively influence your teeth.
Here there is a list of the most popular whitening tooth-pastes:
Tooth-pastes:
Agys Double White
Aquafresh Whitening
Beverly Hills Total Protection
Blanx (all types)
Blend-a-Med Soda Bicarbonate
Colgate Sensation Whitening
Å-ñå ENZYM ÊOMPLEX
Lacalut White
Rembrandt – whitening with fluorine
Who shouldn’t whiten their teeth
Patients suffering from periodontosis or caries should eliminate these problems at first, so that the whitening won’t cause additional problems and troubles. Patients who have brackets, artificial crowns, or fillings on front teeth shouldn’t whiten their teeth, there won’t be expected result because of unequal whitening. Pregnant and children under 16 are also not recommended to whiten their teeth.
Useful advice
If you want to save a snow-white smile for many years, try to drink “coloring drinks” like coffee, tea, cola, juices through a straw and then brush your teeth or rinse your mouse. Besides, drinking through the straw protects teeth from destructive effect of sugar and harmful acids.
Now you know all the necessary information and advices, you’ve chosen the most appropriate method of teeth whitening. Now you can go to a dentist. It is better to choose a clinic, which has a good reputation. And if you don’t have a lot of money, you can visit any supermarket, in which you’ll find whitening substances that will make your smile shining. |