Teeth Whitening: How Does It Work?
Do you know what Americans spent on tooth whitening products this year? 1.7 billion dollars! So, you are not the only one who wants those pearly whites to get their whitest. Everyone is looking for the perfect smile. I'm here to help you get it. Understanding how tooth whitening works is going to help you find the product that is going to work for you. Different products work in different ways, and you will react in different ways too.
Your teeth is made up of two parts, mostly. The inner part is dentin. The outer part is enamel. When you eat, drink or smoke, you put another layer on top of the enamel. We call this film a pellicle film.
Dentists are particularly effective at ridding you of stains with chemicals and scraping. Even brushing with a harsher toothpaste can scrub a good chunk of them off. Well, with brushing you can't get it all, and you can't go to the dentist every day for a cleaning either.
When the pellicle layer that is sitting on your teeth remains there for years, it seeps into the enamel. Your enamel is made up of hydroxyapatite crystals, which are basically little tiny rods. To put it all in simple terms, enamel means porous. This means that the foreign material that makes up the pellicle film can seep into your enamel easily. Enter: teeth whitening products.
What these products do is basically get into the porous enamel on your teeth and cause chemical reactions that attempt to break apart the chemical compounds that make up the stains. This is also known as an oxidation reaction.
Whitening products contain either carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide. When put in your mouth, the carbamide peroxide transforms into hydrogen peroxide and urea. The hydrogen peroxide is the whitening agent for your teeth.
There are a few different ways of administering these chemicals to your teeth. A dentist can do it or you can do it. A dentist will use 15 - 35 % hydrogen peroxide on your teeth (because he knows just what he's doing) sometimes combined with intense light to help the bleaching process. The jury is still out on whether or not the light actually helps. The dentist will do all necessary work like filling cavities and doing a cleaning before bleaching your teeth. Results show that you can whiten up to 7 shades with just one 40 minute session. Impressive!
At home kits are a little different. They use 10 - 20% hydrogen peroxide and contain other chemicals like glycerin, carbomer, water and flavoring agents. Some kits will also include fluoride to lessen the amount of tooth sensitivity and strengthen those soon to be pearly whites. The dentist makes a mold of your mouth and then makes some trays for you to use at home.
A combination of at home and in office treatments have shown that people have been able to achieve up to 15 shades whiter! I'm blind!
So there's the black and white of it. That's how you will get your teeth their whitest and brightest.
Your teeth is made up of two parts, mostly. The inner part is dentin. The outer part is enamel. When you eat, drink or smoke, you put another layer on top of the enamel. We call this film a pellicle film.
Dentists are particularly effective at ridding you of stains with chemicals and scraping. Even brushing with a harsher toothpaste can scrub a good chunk of them off. Well, with brushing you can't get it all, and you can't go to the dentist every day for a cleaning either.
When the pellicle layer that is sitting on your teeth remains there for years, it seeps into the enamel. Your enamel is made up of hydroxyapatite crystals, which are basically little tiny rods. To put it all in simple terms, enamel means porous. This means that the foreign material that makes up the pellicle film can seep into your enamel easily. Enter: teeth whitening products.
What these products do is basically get into the porous enamel on your teeth and cause chemical reactions that attempt to break apart the chemical compounds that make up the stains. This is also known as an oxidation reaction.
Whitening products contain either carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide. When put in your mouth, the carbamide peroxide transforms into hydrogen peroxide and urea. The hydrogen peroxide is the whitening agent for your teeth.
There are a few different ways of administering these chemicals to your teeth. A dentist can do it or you can do it. A dentist will use 15 - 35 % hydrogen peroxide on your teeth (because he knows just what he's doing) sometimes combined with intense light to help the bleaching process. The jury is still out on whether or not the light actually helps. The dentist will do all necessary work like filling cavities and doing a cleaning before bleaching your teeth. Results show that you can whiten up to 7 shades with just one 40 minute session. Impressive!
At home kits are a little different. They use 10 - 20% hydrogen peroxide and contain other chemicals like glycerin, carbomer, water and flavoring agents. Some kits will also include fluoride to lessen the amount of tooth sensitivity and strengthen those soon to be pearly whites. The dentist makes a mold of your mouth and then makes some trays for you to use at home.
A combination of at home and in office treatments have shown that people have been able to achieve up to 15 shades whiter! I'm blind!
So there's the black and white of it. That's how you will get your teeth their whitest and brightest.
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