Whilst every dentist will tell you they’d rather people look after their teeth properly to avoid staining, nevertheless, staining does occur, and one of the most popular remedies is whitening. There are several ways in which teeth whitening can occur, but in all cases, the effect is to give teeth a makeover and return them to their gleaming white state, and in doing so, give the individual the confidence to smile once more.
If you have been considering whitening or are concerned about stains on your teeth and would like to know more about teeth whitening, with the help of dental experts, here are 7 facts about teeth whitening that you should know before making any decision.
Preventing Staining Is The Best Way To Achieve White Teeth
At the risk of sounding like killjoys, we are going to say upfront that the best way to keep your teeth white is to avoid staining in the first place. As well as avoiding activities that are well known to stain teeth like smoking and drinking excess tea or coffee, regular brushing, will be a lot more effective, and less expensive than teeth whitening.
Teeth Whitening Will Not Harm Your Teeth
The process which occurs when teeth are being whitened is harmless to them. During the process, ingredients within the whitener open the tiny pores which exist within your teeth. This not only helps to remove stains, but it also rehydrates the teeth and allows the mineralization process to enhance the natural whiteness of your teeth.
How You Whiten Your Teeth Is Crucial
Whilst home whitening kits might seem a cheap option, they are the least effective and whiten a far smaller proportion of each tooth’s surface than if the whitening is done by your dentist or other dental professional. There, the whitening trays will be custom-sized to fit your teeth perfectly and thus achieve the maximum whitening coverage across the surface of all of your teeth.
After Whitening Your Teeth’s Sensitivity Will Be The Same As Before
Many people have extra-sensitive teeth which makes eating and drinking certain hot or cold food and drink a less than pleasant experience. In fact, everyone has a degree of sensitivity in their teeth and whilst there may be a period of increased sensitivity of up to 36 hours following whitening treatment, after that time the sensitivity of your teeth should return to normal.
Overnight Stain Removal Is Unachievable
You may have seen advertisements for teeth whitening kits, especially the ones for use at home, that claim your teeth will be made whiter than white overnight. This is a fallacy because no teeth whitening product is going to be able to give you gleaming white teeth in such a short period of time, for the simple fact that the chemical process required to open the teeth’s pores and rehydrate them is not completed in just a few short hours.
The Whitening Timescale Can Vary
Whitening teeth is a process that can take anything from 4 or 5 days up to several months. Patience is required, and if you attend each whitening session at your dentist you will achieve white teeth in due course. Once the process is complete the key to maintaining your white teeth is effective oral hygiene.
Do Not Expect Perfection
You may not be aware but not all healthy teeth are white as snow. It could be that your teeth’s natural colour is not pure white, and so do not be upset if, even after stain removal and whitening, they are not as perfectly white as you had hoped.