Tooth Whitening, also known as Tooth Bleaching when using bleach, is the whitening of the tooth shade to a shade that is whiter (for lack of better word) than your typical tooth shade. There are various things one needs to understand about tooth whitening before they go in for one.
Firstly, the reason why one would ever need to get their teeth whitened is because your teeth are like sponges, they absorb basically everything. Foods such as tobacco, coffee, berries are extremely significant factors in staining teeth. Over time, this causes your teeth to turn a shade different from the natural shade and these stains will never go away unless you get them removed at the dentist through whitening procedures. The teeth whitening gel used to whiten your teeth works through absorption and acts as a substance that pushes the stains through the pores of your teeth.
Secondly, it is said that teeth whitening damages your teeth. That is a myth. If done as the instructions say, teeth whitening is safe and not damaging to the teeth. The whitening process uses specific ingredients in the gel that open up the pores of the teeth through which the stains are released. After each whitening session, your teeth naturally restore themselves.
Thirdly, most whitening devices across the board use similar whitening ingredients in their products. The only difference rests in the whitening device that is used to hold the whitening agent on the tooth. A device that is custom-made ensures that every aspect of the tooth regardless of its positioning or alignment receives just the right amount of coverage. These custom-made whitening trays eliminate any room for errors on the tooth during the process, ensuring that you end up with a beautiful and healthy white smile at the end.
Fourthly, it is important to understand that sensitivity following teeth whitening is common and should be expected. More than half of the population have sensitive teeth. This is usually due to genetics, due to weak enamel or even pre-damaged teeth. During the whitening process, it is common for sensitivity to occur due to the teeth becoming dehydrated, which reduces their ability to protect the nerves from changes in temperature, thus causing sensitivity which may range in its extremely. However, sensitivity tends to only last about 12-36 hours after the whitening process.
Furthermore, stains on the teeth cannot just be removed overnight. It takes longer than just the day. Chemically speaking, it is impossible for any sort of whitening agent to safely go deep enough into the pores of the teeth at that speed and remove the stains then and there. The entire whitening process can take as few as a few days, to as long as a few months. Once the stains have been removed though, the teeth are much easier to take care of.
As well, it is important to mention that anyone that has caps, or any kind of porcelain material exists in their mouth, these are custom made to fit the colour of the surrounding teeth and that colour is permanent. It can never be changed. Therefore, during the whitening process, they do not whiten, but neither will they damage through the process.
Lastly, you cannot achieve exactly white teeth. Regardless of any process affecting the colour of the teeth, nothing can permanently change the natural colour of your teeth that you have from birth. The process of whitening is essentially more so to remove the stains that you gain over time. Furthermore, it is important to ask your dentist which whitening treatment will have the effect that you desire. It usually best to let your whitening be done under your dentist’s care as it is more effective and safe that way. Lastly, it is important to take good care of your teeth to avoid any sort of treatment, which includes brushing and rinsing after meals, chewing gum, flossing, using whitening toothpaste, avoid harsh beverages or any touch up treatments.