Teeth Whitening - downfalls to doing it at Home

February 14th, 2006

Before and After BrightSmile Treatment

With all the toothpaste products out that whiten teeth, why would a person get it done professionally? There are many reasons why going to your dentist to have your teeth whitened is a better choice.

One reason is that a trip to the dentist or dental whitening professional should make sure you’re your teeth and gums are healthy and able to be whitened. Before any whitening is performed it should be determined if your teeth are up for the brightening.

Another benefit to going to the professional for the teeth whitening treatment is that you can get dramatic results in an hour’s time. You can see as many as 14 shades brighter teeth. If you were to bleach your teeth with a chemical treatment using a tray method at home, it could take numerous treatments to get 6 shades lighter. This treatment can cause you to have sensitive teeth afterwards, depending on the chemicals that the manufacturer uses. If you use whitening strips, it takes 7 – 30 days to achieve up to 4 shades lighter. The downfall to strips is that they miss the gaps in between the teeth and your teeth can come out patchy looking. The toothpaste method you can expect in a month’s time up to 2 shades lighter. The downfall is that you will quickly loose the whitening if you stop using the toothpaste.

New technology uses light activated teeth whitening which has been shown to be a safe method from a number of research studies. In fact the light activated teeth whitening did not soften the enamel on teeth and did not show any structural changes in the teeth or gum tissue. The main leader in the light activated teeth whitening procedure is a company called BriteSmile and has been featured in many dental health Journals. There are many dentists that use the BriteSmile teeth whitening system.

The professionally whitened teeth can lasts for years. Even though the teeth’s brightness may fade over time, it can last longer than home treatments typically do.

If you have deep stains, home remedies may help, but it will be unlikely that you will be able to get the brightest white teeth that you desire. As we age the stains on teeth become deeper set and teeth often will appear yellow. Coffee drinkers, wine drinkers, and cigarette smokers can stain their teeth more than others. It is believed that stained teeth make us look older and not as pretty. Although there are now many teeth whitening products available at the local drugstore, the new light activated whitening technology makes teeth whitening fast and it does a great job at it too.