Teeth Whitening – Being On The Safe Side

Teeth whitening has become a very popular practice in so short a time that today, the business is worth more than a billion dollars a year. Because of this, the market is being flooded with different brands every time and because it is one of those procedures that are fast and effective without the pain (mostly), it is so very easy to ride the bandwagon; yet, side effects could happen even adversely if unbeknown to the customer, the products are not used as indicated. To be on the safe side, here are the following routes that a customer normally takes.

Not all teeth whitening products have the same bleaching agent concentration as peroxides that are marketed whether the hydrogen or the carbamide variant ranges from 10% to 20% strength, sometimes beyond that. Shop wisely. The safest route is to choose a small bottle in the mid strength range and test it. From there you can determine the strength of concentration and go higher or lower. Remember that if your gums or your tooth are being irritated or hypersensitive you can choose the lower grades but then the desired results will take longer to manifest. Conversely, higher concentration gives faster results if comfort is not an issue.

Follow instructions and indications. Do not leave teeth whitening products whether gels and rinses, longer in the mouth than prescribed. Extending the time off gels or rinses in the mouth will not improve the affectivity of the products. After each treatment do not drink carbonated beverages for at least two hours to get better results and protect the teeth.

Teeth whitening products are very affordable that customers sometimes overdo the practice that more may be better. It is not. Once the teeth arrive at its most natural white, no amount of teeth whitening will make it any whiter. From thence, a once-a-month touch up is enough for maintenance. 

Children up to sixteen years old is not recommended to have teeth whitening, so are pregnant women and lactating mothers. Teeth whitening products normally have counter indications printed at the label. Veneers, crowns and fillings and some repairs to the tooth will not be bleached. It will always retain its color. If these are present in the range that show when a person smiles, chances are whitening the teeth through the do it yourself regimen will result to uneven teeth color. Professional supervision is needed in such cases.

Finally, see your dentist first. This is especially true if you have suffered teeth trauma in the past and have gums that are easily irritated. Even if you do not have these issues, you may still need a mouth exam and an assessment of your gums. Your dentist is also in the best position to seek advice regarding over-the-counter system that could be used. Remember that teeth darken with age and there are 16 teeth shades and the color differs from one person to another. From the dentist, you could also seek a realistic teeth whitening that you could expect. 
