How Does Teeth Whitening Work?

Millions of people seek teeth whitening treatments to have a whiter and brighter smile. Most people understand the various techniques they can use to achieve the brighter shade of teeth they desire. Unfortunately, most do not know how teeth whitening works.

This article focuses on the basics of teeth whitening to help you understand this procedure comprehensively.

How Do the Products of Teeth Whitening Function?

There are many professional teeth whitening products available in drugstores and groceries. However, the products have the same ingredients: peroxide. Hydrogen or carbamide peroxide is the two ingredients most teeth whitening solutions contain. The peroxides contain oxygen molecules which, when they come into contact with the surface stains on the teeth, react by breaking the chemical bonds holding the stains on the enamel.

The reaction of the peroxides bleaches away the stains to restore the appearance of your smile. Therefore, every professional product for teeth whitening contains hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide as active whitening ingredients, including over-the-counter products which also use other whitening ingredients besides the peroxides, such as fluoride. Including fluoride with teeth whitening solutions helps strengthen your teeth during the process by minimizing the risk of tooth sensitivity after the whitening treatment.

Which Teeth Whitening Treatment Is Optimal to Restore Your Smile?

If you are looking for excellent results, instantly professional teeth whitening in Calgary, AB, can satisfy your desire. The practice offers in-office and at-home teeth whitening treatments with whitening gel customized according to your preferences.

If you desire instant results, you can opt for in-office teeth whitening provided by the dentist in Calgary, AB. The treatment is painless, and the dentist completes it in approximately 90 minutes. You also receive a dental cleaning before the whitening procedure to ensure plaque and tartar deposits are not discoloring your teeth.

After cleaning your teeth, the dentist near me protects the soft tissues of your mouth with cheek retractors and rubber dams to ensure whitening ingredients don’t cause sensitivity in your mouth. After that, you receive four applications of hydrogen peroxide over your teeth at intervals of 15 minutes each. The peroxide is reapplied every 15 minutes after suctioning off the existing application. Heat and light accompany the whitening treatment to accelerate the process and break down the stains on your teeth.

At the end of the hour, the hygienist requests you to rinse your mouth and receive a fluoride treatment to prevent sensitivity and strengthen your teeth. The color of your teeth would have changed by 3 to 8 shades during the hour.

Does Tooth Whitening Cause Permanent Tooth Sensitivity?

Mild tooth sensitivity is expected after teeth whitening treatments which generally subsides within a day or two. When you receive teeth whitening treatments from a qualified dentist, they will likely not expose your teeth to highly concentrated whitening ingredients without adequate protection.

Some store-bought whitening treatments contain higher concentrations of peroxide ingredients harmful to your oral health. The higher concentrations can make you susceptible to damaging yourself by accidentally over-whitening your teeth.

How Long Does Tooth Whitening Last?

Teeth whitening treatments are not permanent and remain on your teeth from six months to three years, depending on various factors. Your teeth can discolor because of different reasons, the most prominent among them being the foods and beverages you have besides lifestyle habits like smoking.

If you are a smoker, the habit can stain your enamel, leaving brownish and yellowish stains on them challenging to remove by brushing. If you frequently consume coffee, tea, red wine, and pigmented foods, your teeth will likely discolor over time to require whitening treatments often. However, foods, drinks, and lifestyle habits are not the only contributors to discoloration.

Infections in your teeth, aging, and medications had during childhood are also responsible for the discoloration and require attention from a dental professional for removal.

Besides getting in-office teeth whitening treatments from the Calgary dentist, you can also request at-home trays from the professional to maintain the results of the in-office teeth whitening treatment. The dentist provides the trays customized explicitly for your mouth with whitening gel and instructions on when and how to use them from the comfort of your home. Using the trays as directed by the dentist helps you retain the brightness you achieved at the dental office longer than expected.

When leaving the dental office, the dentist recommends you limit your consumption of certain foods and beverages and quit habits like smoking to benefit your overall health.

Teeth whitening from East Hills Dental Clinic functions efficiently to brighten your smile if you are self-conscious about it. Kindly schedule an appointment with this practice to brighten your teeth today and have a beautiful smile.