The color of your teeth can significantly impact your appearance and confidence. While everyone wants to flash a set of pearly whites and look their best, your teeth are susceptible to discoloration and staining. Failing to floss or brush frequently, not getting regular dental checkups, or smoking can all negatively impact your dental health, causing your teeth to lose their natural color.
Yellowing of teeth can also happen naturally due to aging as the outer, white surface of the teeth, called the enamel, wears down, making your dentin more visible. Certain foods and beverages, such as carbonated soft drinks, tea, and coffee, can also contribute to premature tooth discoloration. This is where teeth whitening comes in. Teeth whitening can help you lighten your teeth and eradicate stains.
Keep reading the article to learn how teeth whitening can help restore your teeth to their original white color and help you achieve a brighter smile.
Table of Contents
What Is Teeth Whitening?
Teeth whitening procedures and treatments have become popular over the years, gaining widespread recognition for their effectiveness in making your teeth appear whiter and brighter, giving lasting results.
You can get professional teeth whitening at a dentist’s office and eliminate issues such as tooth stains and discolored teeth. Teeth whitening involves different techniques such as bleaching and ultraviolet (UV) light therapy to lighten your tooth color and get rid of stains.
How Does Teeth Whitening Work?
You can get teeth whitening treatment by visiting a dentist. They will assess your teeth and guide you on the most appropriate whitening treatment for your case. Professional teeth whitening procedures usually involve applying a bleaching agent, such as hydrogen peroxide to your teeth.
The dentist then uses a light or a laser directly on the teeth to trigger the whitening properties, making the color of your teeth lighter and removing stains. Laser teeth whitening can take around an hour. You might need multiple, 3-4 sessions for best results.
Benefits Of Professional Teeth Whitening
Professional teeth whitening treatments, such as laser teeth whitening, are recommended over other forms of whitening treatments, such as whitening toothpastes, gels, and strips, for several reasons. Here are the benefits of getting professional teeth whitening treatments.
- Long-lasting: Provide more lasting results of up to 3 years as compared to other whitening treatments
- Pain-free procedure: Professional teeth whitening procedures are pain-free. However, you might experience some tooth sensitivity for around 24 hours following the procedure, which is normal.
- Safe and effective: Teeth whitening done at a dentist’s office is safe, effective, and recommended. Attempting to whiten your teeth at home does not guarantee results and can do more harm than good.
- Get better results faster: Professional in-office whitening treatments can provide much better results as compared to OTC whitening products. They can instantly brighten your teeth by 8 shades in an hour due to a more concentrated whitening agent, while commercial whitening products can take months to whiten your teeth by only one or two shades.
Conclusion
Teeth whitening is an effective cosmetic procedure for restoring discolored and stained teeth and achieving a perfect white smile. As emphasized earlier, it is recommended to opt only for professional in-office teeth whitening procedures to prevent side effects and achieve noticeably superior and faster results.
Lastly, to achieve the best results following a teeth whitening procedure and promote overall dental health, you are advised to limit or quit smoking and reduce the intake of acidic or caffeinated beverages such as tea, coffee, and soft drinks. This can help preserve the color of your teeth, prevent staining, and help maintain healthy, white teeth.
