Friday, October 4, 2013

What You May Not Know About Teeth Bleaching But Should

By Marla Mills


There are a number of reasons that contribute to tooth discoloration or staining over the years. Examples include levels of oral hygiene, the intake of certain medications and eating habits. Stained teeth can be bleached to improve their appearance. The teeth bleaching procedure involves the utilization of oxidizing agents like carbamide peroxide to bleach them.

Whitening can also be done by using a special gel that is placed in a flexible custom tray worn around the teeth for a particular period of time. After this tray is removed, you should use a second whitening agent and a special light which activates the chemical reaction. Whitening agents react with tooth enamel and this reaction oxidizes the stain deposits.

When the tooth whitening procedure is performed repeatedly, the bleach gets into the dentine layer. When complete, this process removes all the signs of discoloration and the outcome is a dazzling white smile. Dentists perform this procedure in two ways. One of them involves applying a layer of oxidizing agents to the teeth and flushing this layer away after a short period.

Dentists usually use a thirty five percent hydrogen peroxide equivalent to perform whitening procedures. This tooth whitening method is fast and effective even though there are some risks involved. The whitening agent can cause damage to the soft tissues of the mouth. However, this risk is minimal because the dentist supervises the process.

The other bleaching method that a dentist can use involves placing the whitening agent in a strip that is then attached to the teeth. This strip is not removed right away. It has to stay in place for some hours or days depending on what a dentist recommends. Even if it takes a while to work, it is safe because the risk of soft tissue damage is significantly reduced.

Certain kinds of stains like those caused by the prolonged intake of antibiotics like tetracycline usually take a while to respond to whitening procedures. If your tooth discoloration is caused by taking antibiotics for extended periods, you need to go through several bleaching procedures so that the bleach can get into the dentine layer to bring about the results you want. The recently introduced tooth whitening procedures use light to increase the whitening effects of bleach

Even though tooth whitening procedures are effective in getting rid of discoloration, the results achieved vary from one individual to the other. Most people report that they suffer from tooth sensitivity immediately after procedure. To reduce sensitivity, dentists advise patients not to take very hot or very cold drinks after undergoing the procedure. Dentists may also offer fluoride treatments to their patients to mitigate the effects of the procedure.

Typical dental insurance does not cover teeth bleaching procedures. If you find it too expensive to have the procedure performed by a dentist, you can purchase tooth whitening kits which are sold at most drug stores. You can easily use these kits at home and they are effective. However, you should be patient when using these kits because you may not get immediate results.




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