Tooth Whitening Trends

Teeth whitening is the most requested procedure by patients – of all ages. Lets be honest, in today’s world, its all about glamour and looking good. Everyone wants to be able to flash a lovely smile with beautiful shiny, white glimmering teeth. When it comes to teeth whitening, you have quite a few different options available to you. Whitening options range from over the counter options such as whitening strips and whitening toothpastes to whitening that can be done at the dental office and for those that want to go the natural route there are things you can make at home or foods that you can eat to whiten your teeth. If you’ve ever been interested in whitening your teeth, want to know how it works, what options are available to you, as well as items – food and drinks to stay away from, as well as what to eat and drink to keep your teeth white, continue reading below for more information. If you would like to learn more about teeth whitening or if you want to schedule an appointment for an in office teeth whitening contact a top dentist in Millburn today. Millburn dentist are experienced at a variety of cosmetic dentistry procedures and can give you multiple choices when it comes to whitening your teeth.

When it comes to whitening your teeth, there are three different options – all with their benefits and disadvantages such as cost, how long it takes to work, how long it will keep your teeth white for and who will administer the teeth whitening product. These three main methods include: Power Whitening, Tray Bleaching Gels, and Over The Counter Whitening Products.

The biggest benefits to having an In-Office Power Whitening done professionally by your dentist is immediate results. A dentist, however, is completely experienced and knowledgeable about how to do this and the first time around is always the right process. The only time this might not work for you in an office setting is if you have other issues at hand. One of the biggest disadvantages of going to an office to have this done is the cost. The cost alone is what causes a lot of people to buy an over the counter product, but if you have health insurance with dental, it might come in handy if your dental insurance offers cost reductions on cosmetic dentistry. If you do try this option, don’t give up right away – sometimes it takes 1-2 weeks for you to see a difference, its rare, but it does happen.

Tray Bleaching Gels use carbamide peroxide, some gels use 10 to 35% peroxide while others use only 2-10% hydrogen peroxide. The amount is significantly less than an in office cleaning. The primary benefit of a do it yourself Tray Bleaching Gel system is that it costs significantly less than an in-office whitening system. But, how effective this is depends on you and how compliant you can be when it comes to following the directions on the package.

Whitening Strips

Whitening strips have their benefits as well as disadvantages. First and foremost they are incredibly cheap to buy and easy to buy online or in the store. If you’ve used these before you know that they can lead to whiter teeth and a brighter smile, however, they can also cause damage to your teeth, and white spots can appear on your gums. Also, since most of these strips don’t fit into the crevices of your teeth, you might see a lot of uneven sections where the whitening got to certain parts of your teeth and missed other parts. Its very hit or miss. One of the best pieces of advice you could be given is that if you are going to use these, don’t use them for more than six months.

Bicarbonate Soda Toothpaste

Bicarbonate Soda Toothpaste is the safest option, besides actually going to the dentist and having it done professionally. This is toothpaste, so it can be used a lot, but on a short term basis. Bicarbonate Toothpaste can be abrasive, and can sometimes wear the enamel out on your teeth, so this is not something you should be using every single day or for extended periods of time. Try to limit it to once a week and if you have any weird sensations going on in your mouth like a burning sensation, stop using ASAP, wash your mouth out and consider that this might not be the best option for you.

There are foods that you should stay away from if you want whiter teeth. These items contain things like tannins, acids, caffeine and other chemicals and additives that can stain your teeth. Here are a few you should try to stay away from altogether or use them sparingly.

- Coffee: Coffee is one of the biggest drinks that cause staining. Adding a splash of milk or cream can lessen the effects, but nonetheless, because of the dark color and the acid from the coffee, it can latch on to your teeth enamel and cause staining, among other issues.

- Tea: People seem to think that tea causes fewer issues, but it's just as bad as Coffee because it contains tannins and its usually drunk at high temperatures. If you want to avoid this, try drinking white tea or green tea.

- Red Wine: Red wine is the double-edged sword regarding health versus your teeth. Its supposed to be excellent for your heart, it's also supposed to reduce inflammation when it comes to gum disease. However, the dark red color can stain your teeth and this, like the tea above, has tannins in it. If you love red wine, or you want the health benefits of it, consider washing your mouth out afterward.

- Caramel and Colored Sodas: Any soda that is colored meaning colored from a caramel additive or dyes can be harmful to your teeth and will cause staining over time.

- Colored Candy and Popsicles: These, like the sodas above, contain dyes which can stain your teeth over time. If you need an alternative, consider chewing sugarless gum.

Its not all doom and gloom, there are also foods you should be eating to keep your teeth white, your teeth strong, and keep your gums healthy. Some of these foods include;

Fibrous Fruits: Foods like apples can help whiten your teeth. Not only can they increase saliva flow, but the roughness of the fiber helps scrub your teeth clean. Guess that’s why they always say an apple a day will keep the dentist away!

Baking Soda: Baking Soda can naturally keep your teeth white. You can simply make a little paste with some warm water and some baking soda and place it on your toothbrush and brush your teeth as you normally would. Don’t use this every day; the abrasiveness of the baking soda can wear down enamel over time if you use this every single day.

Strawberries: These red berries contain a certain acid called Malic Acid which can whiten your smile.

If you don’t have money to get Teeth Whitening done professionally, but you also don’t want a bunch of chemicals to be introduced into your body, there are a few other more natural options available to you. Most of these contain some whitening product like hydrogen peroxide or baking soda – or both.

- Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda Paste: Above all others, this is the one that has been used – tried and true, for years on end. People see a lot of amazing results from diluted peroxide and a bit of baking soda to make a paste. Just remember, both of these items are abrasive, so this is NOT a daily routine you should be doing. But it can be done for 3-5 days at one time and then waiting six months before doing it again.

- Strawberry Paste: As mentioned above, strawberries contain malic acid which is a superb ingredient for dissolving stains on teeth such as tea, coffee, and red wine. Mash up a few strawberries, add one tsp of baking soda, rub it on your teeth for five min, floss out any strawberry seeds and rinse.

- Banana Peels: Believe it or not, banana peels are a superb whitener. You can simply remove the banana from the peel, brush your teeth as normal, floss, rinse, and then use a piece of the skin to rub it on your teeth for 2 minutes. The minerals in the peel, as well as the peel itself, can rub away stains. You can also do this again before bed.

Hopefully, this guide gave you some insight into whitening and all the different options available to you. Just remember that no matter what method you choose to do, that you do your research beforehand because again, everyone has different tooth issues, different stains and different lifestyles that have led to those stains. Also, when possible check in with your dentist to make sure that you are doing the right methods for your teeth, and you are doing them in the right way. If you need further help on more foods to eat and ones to stay away from, talk to your dentist, or your general practitioner.

Teeth whitening isn’t all kittens and unicorns, it seems like a good option at the time, but it should be noted that if you are going to use a do it yourself method, that it CAN cause a decrease in bond strength. So if you have something like dentures, caps or crowns, it could weaken the structure of the bond over all. Studies show that do it yourself products can cause a 28% reduction in that bond. So it's important that you DO talk to your dentist about a do it yourself method, before actually going ahead with it. If you are having your teeth worked on, it's better to whiten the teeth and then wait 14 days to get the teeth worked on so that the decrease in the bond won't happen.