Understanding Teeth Whitening
What is teeth whitening?
Dental whitening, sometimes referred to as tooth bleaching, is a popular process within cosmetic dentistry by which powerful bleaching agents such as hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide are applied to the teeth. After a few minutes, these bleaching agents penetrate the dentin layer of the tooth and then break down intrinsic and extrinsic stains that have accumulated on the teeth into smaller, less colored molecules. This causes the tooth to appear brighter and more white. In order to accelerate this process, our studios also use an LED light to ensure the bleaching agent breaks down stains within a shorter period of time (typically within an hour).
How do intrinsic and extrinsic stains differ from each other?
Extrinsic stains are stains on the tooth that are caused by eating and drinking dark foods and liquids such as red wine, coffee, tobacco, tomato sauce, dark chocolate, matcha, etc. Habits like smoking or eating tobacco will also cause extrinsic stains to appear on the tooth. These types of stains cause a yellow hue on the tooth and are easier to remove in a whitening procedure as they stain the outer layer of the tooth.
Intrinsic stains occur a lot deeper in the tooth and are more difficult to remove. These types of stains sometimes require multiple whitening sessions to be removed, as opposed to extrinsic stains that typically are removed in one whitening session. Intrinsic stains can be identified as they are more grey in color and can be caused by aging, trauma, consuming medications such as tetracycline or hypocalcification.
Although intrinsic stains are more difficult to avoid, you can prevent extrinsic tooth staining by practicing good oral health such as brushing your teeth twice a day, flossing regularly, staying away from staining foods or brushing you teeth or taking gum shortly after consuming them. In addition, drinking dark liquids with a straw can also help reduce the contact time of these liquids with your teeth and will help reduce staining.
How will teeth whitening impact my life?
Teeth whitening has various benefits, ranging from cosmetic to psychological:
Removal of stains: Teeth whitening removes the intrinsic and external stains from the tooth making your smile appear whiter and brighter.
Uniform smile: Whitening give your smile an even result which is especially helpful when you have certain teeth that appear more discolored than others. This is frequently the case with customers who have veneers or tooth caps that appear lighter than their natural teeth and therefore want to even out their smile.
Increased confidence: A whiter smile gives an instant self-esteem boost.
Appear younger: A whiter smile is associate with youth and vitality making you appear younger.
Less camera shy: You will not be fretting about how your smile looks on pictures or in Zoom meetings.
No more photoshopping! You can delete those expensive retouching apps as there is no need to retouch and whiten your smile in pictures.
Got more questions about teeth whitening? If you want to make a teeth whitening appointment, simply choose your desired location and time using our booking form here. If you have any more questions, please email us at info@thebeambar.com
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