Teeth whitening is a cosmetic dental procedure that is common among top-flight professionals and those who have undergone tooth discolouration due to smoking, drinking red wine, tea or coffee, aging, or taking particular medications.
Teeth whitening treatments have come on a great deal over the last five years and the price has come down considerably for home use. Whitening is now very popular among people of all ages, but especially among people with a high public profile or those who want appear attractive.
There are quite a few techniques for whitening your teeth. Some you can apply at home, but others have to be carried out in a dentist’s surgery. This latter type often fall into the laser treatment category. However, laser teeth whitening is really a misnomer, because the bright light that is employed to activate the tooth whitening gel is not a laser. In fact, there are whitening gels of the strength that only dentists can use that work just as well without using a ‘laser’.
Many people believe that manufacturers of the gels that had to be activated by a ‘laser’, said that so that they could take advantage of the buzz word ‘laser’ and charge more. On the whole, the claims relied on the ignorance of the client. Nowadays, teeth whitening gels are activated by spittle or air. So, be wary if your dentist says the word ‘laser’ or at least ask about whether it really is a laser that they are using..
The fact is though, that treatments that are available to dentists are not available to the general public. The professional gels work a lot faster and seem to last longer. But then so they should at $500-$2,000 a session. The types of discolouration that are best treated by professional whitening techniques are those created by aging and drinking red wine, coffee and tea.
An important deliberation before you undergo teeth whitening is whether you have had a crown or false tooth inserted to match your old discoloured teeth. If you do have such a replacement, the colour will be inherent in the fabric of the substitute. Therefore, bleaching will have no effect and that implant might stick out like a sore thumb.
Many people experience greater sensitivity of the teeth to hot and cold for between one and four days after application. So if you need to apply the gel twice a week, you will never get over the discomfort.
In general, you have to be suspicious of claims from manufacturers, vendors and appliers of teeth whitening products. Some countries have stricter laws than others, so you should be conscious of the laws in your country and report any transgressions, because too many lies have been told. In most countries. The matter has been has been cleared up a lot, but not completely.
At the end of the day, if you are interested in teeth whitening, the old expression, ‘Buyer Beware!’ is still worth bearing in mind. Having said that, there are some great teeth whitening treatments out there.
Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on several subjects, but is at present involved with researching teeth whitening dentists. If you would like to know more or check out great offers, please go to our website at Opalescence Tooth Whitening Systems