Those Little White Lies They Tell About Teeth Whitening
Article Source: HealthSnare.com
Little White Lie #1
The Lie: Brushing your teeth with whitening toothpaste is the best way to whiten your teeth.
The Truth: Obviously, you should brush your teeth. You can even use whitening toothpaste if you like; however, you'll be disappointed if you expect these products to be able to whiten your teeth on their own. While brushing is essential to maintaining dental health and hygiene, it won't whiten your teeth even if you do use one of the many whitening toothpastes on the market for one very simple reason. The whitening agents used in these whitening toothpastes simply aren't in contact with your teeth long enough to really produce any kind of noticeable results.
Your saliva prevents the whitening agents in these toothpastes from being in contact long enough to do any real good in terms of tooth whitening. The active ingredients in these toothpastes are also usually present in such low concentrations that even if they did spend enough time in contact with your teeth, they still wouldn't be terribly effective. They're a great idea, but whitening toothpastes really don't do anything that regular toothpastes don't.
Little White Lie #2
The Lie: If you want your teeth whitened, the best course of action is to see your dentist.
The Truth: Yes, it is true that your dentist can help you to get whiter teeth. However, you don't have to go to your dentist to get the same effect. The whitening agent which your dentist uses is almost invariably either Carbamide Peroxide or Hydrogen Peroxide: the same whitening agents used in do-it-yourself tooth whitening systems.
How effective a tooth whitening system is depends on the concentration of the active ingredients in the gel and how long these whiteners are in direct contact with your teeth.
You can get the same results by using a whitening solution with a high concentration of peroxide for a short time (this is the general rule with a whitening procedure performed by a dentist) or using a whitening solution containing a lower concentration of peroxide for a longer time (the way that at home teeth whitening systems usually work).
Either method produces the same results, though there is one factor which differs significantly: the cost. You'll pay four to eight times as much to have a dentist whiten your teeth as you would to whiten them using an at home teeth whitening system. Since you can get the same results at home with a much smaller price tag, it's no surprise that an increasing number of people are starting to choose at home tooth whitening over a dental procedure.
Little White Lie #3
The Lie: Every tooth whitening product works equally well.
The Truth: The quality and the efficacy of different tooth whitening products varies greatly, as do the methods of application. Some of these products work better than others and some really can't be said to work at all, if the truth is to be told.
The difference generally comes down to the ingredients used in the product. Different whitening gels differ in their concentration of active ingredients - and thus in the degree to which they are effective. Before making a purchase, you should look at the different products; some are made for specific types and levels of staining.
Little White Lie #4
The Lie: Tooth whitening is harmful to the teeth and gums.
The Truth: Teeth whitening systems don't cause any damage to your teeth or gums. You apply the whitening agent to your teeth and the organic deposits which cause staining or discoloration on the surface of the teeth are removed through oxidation. This process is not harmful to your teeth or gums. However, it is possible that the procedure can cause some very short-lived sensitivity in the teeth. If this is a problem, the effect can be reduced or eliminated simply by shortening the time that the whitening gel spends in contact with your teeth.
It's possible that these whitening agents can irritate the gums, but this is typically due to poorly fitting whitening trays that cause the gums to come in contact with the whitening product. For this reason, it is highly recommended to use at home whitening systems that use custom whitening trays.
Little White Lie #5
The Lie: Whitening strips are the best way to whiten your teeth.
The Truth: Whitening strips are not only not the best way to whiten your teeth, but they're not even particularly effective. Whitening strips don't work terribly well because they're designed as a "one size fits all" solution. Unfortunately, everyone's teeth are different and whitening strips don't provide a perfect fit. This means that any depressions or grooves in your teeth aren't whitened, nor are any spaces between your teeth. The end result is an uneven whitening with ugly "striping" of stained areas which often looks worse than before you started to use the whitening strips!
Little White Lie #6
The Lie: You don't need a custom whitening tray; besides, the thermoform trays are cheaper
The Truth: Unfortunately, this isn't the case. Just like whitening strips, these trays don't provide a perfect fit for your teeth; it's like trying to wear dentures made for someone else. A custom-fitted whitening tray, however, will conform to your teeth and produce even whitening as well as reducing the potential for irritation if the gums since they reduce the amount of whitening gel which can leak out.
Little White Lie #7
The Lie: The paint on tooth whitening products are the easiest and therefore the best at home tooth whitening products
The Truth: The paint-on whiteners are definitely easy to use, but unfortunately they're not effective. They have the same fatal flaw as whitening toothpastes. Your saliva washes away the whitening agents, meaning that the whiteners aren't left in contact with the surface of your teeth for a long enough time to do much, if anything to whiten them. The whitening agents in these products is also present in a very low concentration so as to prevent irritation - so even if they did spend more time in contact with your teeth, they are of very little use. At best, these paint on tooth whitening products leave you with very limited whitening results and have an uneven, unnatural look.
Some of these products don't even try to remove stains, being designed to literally whitewash the teeth. Even the best of these products don't provide long lasting effects and tend to produce an unnatural look.
Little White Lie #8
The Lie: Whitening products which use electroluminescence are more effective, since they activate the tooth whitening agents in the gel
The Truth: These products are nothing new; what they are is ineffective. The electroluminescence used in these products don't do anything except for look pretty. There is no added effect to these products by virtue of this light and it's not necessary to remove staining and get whiter teeth. This is a marketing ploy, plain and simple.
Little White Lie #9
The Lie: Tooth bleaching produces the same results for everybody.
The Truth: Every individual is different and so are their teeth; including their staining. Some stains are easier to bleach than others. Yellow stains are the easiest to remove, followed by brown staining. Teeth which are stained to a grayish shade are the most difficult to whiten by the use of a bleaching procedure.
Little White Lie #10
The Lie: Swallowing tooth whitening gel is harmful
The Truth: Any tooth whitening procedure involves swallowing some of the whitening gel used. It doesn't matter what type of system you choose, the chances of swallowing a small amount of whitening gel are 100%. There is no risk of injury from swallowing these miniscule quantities of tooth whitening solutions; they may not taste fantastic, but you won't be doing yourself any harm.
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Julian Dowe
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Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 Time: 3:44 AM
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