The Little White Lies They Tell You About Teeth Whitening
Little White Lie #1
The Lie: The best way to get whiter teeth is to use whitening toothpastes.
The Truth: Naturally, brushing your teeth is always a good idea, since it’s essential to keeping them clean and generally an important part of good dental hygiene. Should you use a whitening toothpaste though? You certainly can, but you shouldn’t start using these products in the expectation that these will be able to produce any significant degree of whitening. There’s certainly nothing wrong with using these whitening toothpastes, but the whitening agents in these products just don’t spend enough time in contact with your teeth to really make a difference.
The saliva washes any of the whitening agents away quickly, keeping them from staying in contact for a duration long enough to produce an effect. Additionally, whitening toothpastes are formulated with whitening agents in concentrations far too low to have much of an impact even supposing that these ingredients weren’t washed away quickly by your saliva. Whitening toothpaste is a great idea but until some radically different type of toothpaste is developed, you won’t see any results from these toothpastes that any other type of toothpaste can’t produce.
Little White Lie #2
The Lie: Having your dentist whiten your teeth is the best way to get a brighter, whiter smile.
The Truth: Yes, it is true that your dentist can help you to get whiter teeth. However, you don’t have to go to your dentist to get the same effect. The whitening agent which your dentist uses is almost invariably either Carbamide Peroxide or Hydrogen Peroxide: the same whitening agents used in do-it-yourself tooth whitening systems.
The degree to which any tooth whitening procedure is effective is dependent on how concentrated the whitening gel is and the amount of time that the gel spends in contact with the surface of the teeth.
What does this mean? It’s simple – you can use a high concentration whitening solution for a short period of time as your dentist would, or a lower concentration product for a longer duration; the approach used with do it yourself teeth whiteners.
Either method produces the same results, though there is one factor which differs significantly: the cost. You’ll pay four to eight times as much to have a dentist whiten your teeth as you would to whiten them using an at home teeth whitening system. Since you can get the same results at home with a much smaller price tag, it’s no surprise that an increasing number of people are starting to choose at home tooth whitening over a dental procedure.
Little White Lie #3
The Lie: Every tooth whitening product works equally well.
The Truth: It is decidedly not the case that all tooth whitening products are created equal. There are some products which work quite well, while others don’t really work at all.
The difference is in the whitening agents in these products and the concentration the whitening gels are formulated at. It’s a good idea to look at all of your options before you settle on a at home teeth whitening system; which will work best for you depends on the type and the severity of your stains.
Little White Lie #4
The Lie: Bleaching your teeth damages the teeth and the gums.
The Truth: There is no risk of damage to your teeth or gums from using tooth whiteners. The whitening gel is applied directly to your teeth, where the whitening agents oxidize the organic deposits which cause staining. While it doesn’t cause any damage to your teeth or gums, it is possible to have some sensitivity in your teeth following the procedure; however, this is only a temporary effect. You can reduce this sensitivity by reducing the amount of time that the whitening gel is in contact with the surface of your teeth.
Some whitening gels can also cause minor irritation to the gums – this usually happens because the whitening trays used in the procedure are poorly fitted. This is why using an at home tooth whitening system which uses custom-fitted whitening trays is always the best way to go.
Little White Lie #5
The Lie: Whitening strips are the best way to whiten your teeth.
The Truth: Whitening strips are not only not the best way to whiten your teeth, but they’re not even particularly effective. Whitening strips don’t work terribly well because they’re designed as a “one size fits all” solution. Unfortunately, everyone’s teeth are different and whitening strips don’t provide a perfect fit. This means that any depressions or grooves in your teeth aren’t whitened, nor are any spaces between your teeth. The end result is an uneven whitening with ugly “striping” of stained areas which often looks worse than before you started to use the whitening strips!
Little White Lie #6
The Lie: Thermoform trays are just as effective as custom-fitted whitening trays.
The Truth: In reality, you do need a custom whitening tray to get the best results. You wouldn’t assume that someone else’s dentures would fit you properly, would you? A custom tray properly fits your teeth, unlike a whitening strip or a thermoform tray, which leaves unattractive stripes of staining and discoloration where they don’t completely stay in contact with your teeth. A custom tray can also prevent gum irritation by keeping the whitening gel from leaking out of the tray – providing more efficient whitening and less potential for irritation.
Little White Lie #7
The Lie: Paint on style tooth whiteners are the best way to go since they’re the easiest kind to use.
The Truth:It’s absolutely true that the paint on tooth whiteners are incredibly easy to use, but that doesn’t mean that they’re effective. Just like whitening toothpaste, it’s a great idea but it shares the same fatal weakness as toothpastes as far as whitening your teeth goes: the whitening agents used don’t spend enough time in contact with your teeth before being washed away by saliva to be effective. There is the other problem that the concentration of whitening agents is too low to really whiten your teeth – the concentration is low to prevent gum irritation. Even the very best paint on tooth whiteners provide only limited whitening which doesn’t last for long – and they give your teeth an unevenly whitened, unnatural look.
Other paint on tooth whiteners are basically whitewash for the teeth and do nothing to actually remove stains and discoloration.
Little White Lie #8
The Lie: Whitening products which use electroluminescence are more effective, since they activate the tooth whitening agents in the gel
The Truth: These products are nothing new; what they are is ineffective. The electroluminescence used in these products don’t do anything except for look pretty. There is no added effect to these products by virtue of this light and it’s not necessary to remove staining and get whiter teeth. This is a marketing ploy, plain and simple.
Little White Lie #9
The Lie: Tooth bleaching procedures provide everyone with the same results
The Truth: Everyone’s teeth are as individual as they are – and so are their stains and discoloration. There are stains which are more easily bleached away than others. Yellowish teeth are the easiest to whiten, brownish teeth harder to bleach and grayish stains are the hardest of all to whiten through bleaching.
Little White Lie #10
The Lie: Swallowing tooth whitening gel is harmful
The Truth: Any tooth whitening procedure involves swallowing some of the whitening gel used. It doesn’t matter what type of system you choose, the chances of swallowing a small amount of whitening gel are 100%. There is no risk of injury from swallowing these miniscule quantities of tooth whitening solutions; they may not taste fantastic, but you won’t be doing yourself any harm.
Before you buy teeth whitening products online please be sure to visit Teeth Whitening for the most up to date resources, health information, tips and prices.Also see more information about how to find the best tooth whitener. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service
