Everyone wants to have a beautiful smile. If you don’t have much to smile about because your teeth are discolored from years of being exposed to the ravages of cigarette smoking, red wine drinking, and or trauma, then you may want to try a whitening treatment. There are many on the market to choose from, or for a more invasive procedure, your dentist has options.
Hydrogen peroxide is one of the ingredients used in a bleaching treatment to whiten teeth. It is called “bleaching,” for obvious reason. The idea of bleaching is to simply change the color of the teeth a lighter shade than before treatment began. A teeth whitening treatment, however, refers to plaque. A teeth whitening treatment is more invasive wherein the teeth are restored by removing debris that has accumulated over time.
As people age the enamel, the teeth’s natural protector, wears down. As the enamel becomes less resilient, the more likely the teeth will begin to show the effect and begin to yellow. When eating or drinking foods that are notorious for staining the teeth such as coffee, red wine or blueberries, it is importatnt that you brush often. After a time these stains become permanent by penetrating into the tooth’s enamel. Even right after brushing, you still may notice that your teeth are not the pretty pearly whites that they used to be.
Stains as a result of trauma and/or the aging process lie more within the interior of the teeth than the exterior and are therefore harder to remove.
Another factor contributing to yellowing is the condition of the teeth themselves. Not everyone has thick, healthy teeth. Blame it on genetics, but some people’s teeth are thin, just as hair can be thin, so can your teeth. The thinner and more transparent the teeth the chances of a successful whitening treatment are less in your favor.
The pros and cons to consider when choosing a whitening treatment that is right for you depends on the cost and how much you a willing to spend. The convenience and time factor saved by going to a professional is great if you can afford it. You are sure to see immediate results, but the cost may be anywhere from $500 to $1000 a treatment.
If you want to spend a bit more time, your dentist can provide a take-home kit that will produce similar results but will take longer. The bleaching element is at such a diluted dose, made to be used by the layperson, that the results are only achieved after repeated use. The cost, anywhere between $100 to $400.
Of course the local drugstore is another place to purchase your whitening kit, wherein the bleach content is lower still than the professional kit purchased at the dentist, hence the lower price. Although the price is conducive to more budgets, the price costing $20 to $100, depending on brand type, the results may be lacking. The one-size-fits-all design does not work well for everyone, leaving only the front teeth whiter than the rest of the teeth.
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