SHINY WHITE smile is attainable without risk when you turn to the stomatologist’s cabinet for consultation + Home treatment for whitening your teeth and the available procedures in the doctor’s cabinet

OHMYGOSSIP – White clean and healthy teeth are a sign of youth and good health. To attain a shiny white smile without risk it is best to turn to the stomatologist’s cabinet for consultation. Together with a specialist you can find out the option for whitening the teeth which would best suit the situation of your teeth.

Reasons why teeth lose the white looks are various:
*Smoking
*Products than contain tanning substances (black coffee and tea, red wine, black currant, iron supplements etc) as well as medication
*The wearing off of the tooth enamel with age, that brings along the darker tooth bone tissue. Besides, the transparency of the tooth and the light reflecting properties decrease.
*The darkening of a single tooth caused by trauma or root treatment during which the capillaries have not been correctly removed from the tooth.
*The antibiotics taken in the early years – tetracycline (acne treatment) or too large an amount of fluoride in drinking water can cause a significant colour change in teeth that only laser whitening can cure.

Once the specialist has analyzed the situation of the teeth it is already possible to give more detailed advice about the suitable whitening method.

General counter indications are:
*Pregnancy and breastfeeding
*Allergy against a component in the whitening gel
*It is not recommended to treat individuals younger that 18 years of age
*Ailments of the organism

How is effective whitening of the teeth possible in home settings?
The easiest and most inexpensive option is to use the whitening toothpaste that your stomatologist has recommended, these are divided in two: abrasive or chemical pastes. Abrasive whitening pastes give a stronger whitening effect, since they contain the ingredient sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), but upon extended use these may damage the tooth enamel. Therefore it is required that you use these pastes for several periods with breaks in between. The chemical pastes contain papain extract that is not as aggressive against the tooth enamel but also have less intensive whitening effect.

The whitening toothpastes when used during a longer period of time give several grades (max 3 shades) whiter teeth. Naturally, the end result will depend on tooth pigmentation and structure. In the case of a major problem the result won’t be significant and experience has shown that extended use of whitening toothpaste can make teeth become so sensitive that the whitening completed in the stomatologist’s cabinet in already hindered at the point of spreading the whitening gel on to the teeth.

Another option for whitening your teeth at home is the braces with whitening effect, prepared by a dentist. These are prepared for a concrete patient’s teeth by a dentist, they are soft plastic braces which, when filled with a whitening carbamide peroxide gel, are kept in the mouth overnight. Depending on the pigmentation of the teeth it will take 1-3 weeks to attain the desired result. This option suits best when there is a minor shade issue, in healthy teeth without fillings. The result will be teeth that are 1-2 shades whiter.

There may emerge problems like transient sensitivity of the teeth, the irritation to gums caused by the edge of the braces and the discomfort from the bite. Also, the whitening gel dripping out could cause problems, irritating the mucous membrane of the mouth and upon swallowing, also the stomach.

Procedures performed at the professionals

Tooth cleansing with sodium (pearl wash procedure) is a method where a special granulated and flavoured pressurized stream of sodium, water and air removes the dental plaque and pigmentation spots. After the procedure the teeth are whiter and cleaner, but this efect will wear out from the layer of the teeth hand in hand with the pigmentation.

Pearl wash does not harm the tooth surface, but attention must be drawn to the fact that two hours after the wash it is not recommended to eat, drink or smoke, since thorough cleaning will remove the protective surface from the teeth and this surface will retutn to normal within two hours.

Upon chemical whitening the stomtologist will use a special gel or paste and the active ingredients that it contains (oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, carbamide peroxide) will enter the teeth, turning them whiter. The results are visible already within a week, but the best of results appear within 2-3 weeks. The procedure will take up to 1.5 hours, during which the teeth will be cleansed from plaque, the desired shade of white will be clarified and the whitening is completed. The maximum change that can be attained is 8 shades whiter teeth, but this certainly depends also on the dental structure and the root causes of the problem. Chemical whitening will provide a result that lasts 0.5-4 years. For maintaining this result the first factor is oral hygiene and the avoidance of activities that further the pigmentation (smoking, excessive coffee, etc).

Shortly after the whitening procedure there may be sensitivity to cold temperatures in the teeth. The remineralization of the tooth enamel can be accelerated by special post whitening gels.

Laser whitening is the most effective and fastest method and you can end up with teeth that are 9 shades whiter just after one visit. With the help of a laser a special whitening gel will be activated through a certain wavelength, there will be a bleaching effect on the teeth from the ingredients. Since the whitening procedure is activated by a laser, there will be greater damage to the hard tissue of the teeth and during the following couple of weeks you must use tooth paste with fluoride and definitely you must avoid products of pigmentation (coffee, cola drinks, smoking, wine, etc).

It is possible to whiten all teeth with laser whitening (10 upper and 10 lower) but also just a single dark tooth. The result will largely depend on the structure of the tooth: yellowish teeth are the best in terms of whitening results, brownish follow and the most problematic type is grey teeth which actually might not turn whiter at all. Similarly, the persistance of the white shade depends on the further lifestyle of the patient, as well as the desire to preserve the teeth as white as they are (for example smoking as a habit that also harms the entire organism should be discontinued).

A very longlasting internal change in colour, or the existance of major fillings is an indication to cover the tooth with ceramic laminate. What we call laminate is a thin layer of porcelain cover that is glued on the frontal side of the tooth. In order to do so, the tooth first must be slightly polished to achieve unchanging parameters of the tooth. Then the laminate is prepared and attached to the surface of the tooth with the help of filling material. The price window for one laminate is around 300-1500 euros, depending on the material and the technology; the lifespan of this laminate is claimed to be at least 20 years. A great bonus of the laminate, besides the durability, is their very simple maintenance – the full ceramical surface of the laminate does not allow tanning substances to be stuck on it, and also the habits of smoking, drinking wine and coffee do not affect the possible change in colour.

Photo: Pexels
Source: Ohmygossip.ee

---

---