Posts Tagged ‘bleaching’

Teeth Whitening Advice for Those Interested in Cosmetic Dentistry

November 10th, 2009

People are very much the same, although some things, like their color, can be different. I’m not talking about hair, skin or eye color, but the tooth color. You don’t want to be in the yellow team, do you? I thought so… So, the natural teeth color can be in a variety of shades; but, the shade that you practically have is worse, thanks to the cigarettes, the coffee, the cola, the red wine or even the cherries and blueberries that we are consummating. But there are other reasons why our teeth are getting shady colors, like aging, accumulation of plaque, tartar deposits or even the over consumption of fluoride which leads to a “mottled” look of the teeth. Of course there are more reasons why teeth are losing their original color like treatment with the antibiotic during childhood or trauma to the teeth which causes a brown, gray or black color …

So, now that we’re finished with mustering the reasons why teeth are getting “not so white”, let’s talk about how can we make them white? Dentistry has a specialized branch which takes care of the look of our teeth, called the cosmetic dentistry. The cosmetic dentistry treatments are vary. Here are a few of the most popular treatments: we have the “tooth bleaching”, or the simple teeth whitening, the Enamel shaping, which reshapes the contouring enamel of the tooth ,we have the bonding which helps with chipped or cracked teeth and the tooth veneers, those ultra-thin laminates that are affixed directly to the teeth.

The materials used by dentists in the past were gold or amalgam as fillings or for other restorations. Even then, some of these teeth were veneered in porcelain. Now, cosmetic dentistry uses porcelain for the entire dental work. Porcelain has a look very much like the natural tooth. The bond to the underlying tooth is made with resin adhesives. For the teeth whitening through laser bleaching the only material needed is the hydrogen peroxide gel. Anywhere you go, the dentist will use some product containing anywhere from 15% to 30% this substance. But, before you begin your teeth whitening treatment, the dentist will protect the soft tissues by placing a gel or a special shield. He will also use a gel to isolate the gum areas. After that he applies the hydrogen peroxide to the teeth. The use of a laser light increases the whitening effect. Then you must rinse off the bleaching gel and repeat this procedure for a few times. See? it really isn’t so hard and the result can bring only joy into our life.

Before you do a teeth whitening, make sure you don’t have any white fillings. The thing with them is that they will remain less white after the teeth whitening, then the newly bleached teeth. And another problem for those who want to go to a cosmetic dentistry, to perform a teeth whitening, is the after time. Can we eat, can we drink? Well …yes, but there is a common side effect, the teeth sensitivity. This sensitivity worries us although for only 24 hours, so it’s not that bad…

Cosmetic dentistry can be an option only once…if we put some effort. Because the teeth whitening’s effect can be maintained. This way, we also make a little money saving, by putting a little bit of effort. We most follow a few simple steps, and we practically earn some money doing that…So, for someone who just finished a session of teeth whitening at a cosmetic dentist, here are the rules to follow for keeping your new teeth white on for as much as you like…First, use a whitening toothpaste; second, brush or rinse immediately after eating; third, use a straw to drink coffee, tea, colas and red wine…and, last, only for the ladies use pink based lipstick.

So, finally, let’s see what our options are(what cosmetic dentistry can do): if you have tooth-colored fillings, crowns, caps or bonding in your front teeth then bleaching, as a teeth whitening method is not really recommended. These materials are keeping their color and not turn white as the teeth…So their next option can be tooth veneers or bonding (also at the cosmetic dentistry).The veneers are those porcelain or plastic pieces which are glued at the front of the teeth. They can be two variants for veneers: porcelain (indirect) veneers or composite (direct) veneers. At the other hand the cosmetic dentistry’s bonding uses composite resin to recolor the smile…

Besides the dental (in-office) whitening at the cosmetic dentistry it is used, like we said earlier, the home treatment for teeth whitening. Wow…teeth whitening, without cosmetic dentistry, in the comfort of your home. And the quality is the same with a cosmetic dentistry’s teeth whitening. The first method is brush-on teeth whitening, and it is about letting it dry on our teeth and tah-dah…in the morning they’re white. But attention, not doing this hole thing at the cosmetic dentistry has two flaws, if you get the teeth whitening formula wet even with saliva it becomes really easy rubbing off parts of the formula. Second flaw is about one of it’s ingredients, alcohol, which causes bad breath. Cosmetic dentistry’s alternative method is the use of all kind of bleaching gels. If you have the time and money, we suggest teeth whitening at the cosmetic dentistry. The home made “white” is more for keeping it.

Efficient and Effective Use of Teeth Whitening Trays

October 31st, 2009

Teeth whitening products and procedures are not new to us. The whitening toothpastes available in the market for years now promise a brighter, whiter, warmer smile to their customers. In the last few years, tooth whitening products have been witnessing a boom as the people have become more conscious of the way they look and smile.Tray based teeth whitening system:

Tray based tooth whitening procedures are very common among teeth whitening procedures. Tray based teeth whitening system consists of a tray, which is flexible enough to be fitted to the teeth of the person who is undergoing the treatment. The tray is designed to hold a bleaching agent closer to the teeth and for some period of time. There are two kinds of tray-based teeth whitening systems available. One is the dentist-assisted method and the other can be used at home by the person who is trying it.

Teeth whitening procedure is ideal for those who have healthy gums and unrestored teeth with no fillings. Yellowish tinted teeth respond very well to the teeth whitening procedures. There are many kinds of bleaching agents, which are used in the teeth whitening products. The most common whitening product recommended by dental professionals is a 10-20 percent carbamide peroxide solution since it is a viscous gel which clings to the teeth very well. Better results are achieved if the bleaching agent has good contact with the teeth. The duration of the tray to be worn by the patients depends on the desired level of bleaching required and the degree of staining. Even though it is considered to be an uncomfortable procedure, the results got are excellent.

Many over the counter tray whitening systems use hydrogen peroxide in the place of carbamide peroxide. Even though hydrogen peroxide is safer to use, bleaching is not achieved quickly as it takes several sessions a day continuously for several weeks to get the desired results. Efficient and effective use of teeth whitening trays:

The teeth whitening tray should fit the mouth and teeth size properly to get desired results. Since bleaching of artificial dental works like bonds, caps, bridges, fillings etc does not happen, the dentist will be the person to decide either to replace the artificial piece with the teeth of the same color after the whitening treatment or not.

It is good to be away from generic trays. Not only these trays cause several undesirable effects, but also do not fit the mouth properly. When the tray base whitening system does not fit the teeth properly, it will lead to swallowing of the bleaching gel or can cause injuries to the soft tissues of the mouth. Some trays may come with bleaching agents that are ineffective, or acidic or even toxic. Hence care should to be taken while using such products.

Before applying the whitening tray, it is good to clean, floss and brushes the teeth as the bleaching gel works very well and quickly if the teeth are clean. The teeth whitening tray can be used while sleeping to get a maximum effect. If it’s applied during daytime, it hinders the speech.

Cosmetic Dentistry – Necessity or Luxury

October 10th, 2009

One old wide-spread saying can be paraphrased to state: ‘One apple a day keeps the dentist away’. What if one apple is no longer enough for your dental care? What if, when you smile in your bathroom mirror, you notice that your teeth are stained, crooked, chipped, or simply missing? It’s a good thing that there is one perfect solution for all these and many other problems: cosmetic dentistry.

Surveys conducted by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry showed that, during the last decade, cosmetic dentistry has become a thriving and successful industry. The ultimate goal of the modern day Americans seems to be the cosmetic enhancement that grants them an amazing straight, white, even smile.

Cosmetic dentistry offers a wide range of procedures, with pros and cons for each of them. The patients can get the smile they dreamed of in no more than two visits to the dentist’s office. Not only that a smile can be transformed so quickly but with the advanced care provided by the cosmetic dentistry, everyone can expect to have a comfortable pain-free procedure whose results are more than attractive.

The risks associated with cosmetic dentistry are very few if none, keeping in mind though that it might be possible for some of the patients to experience minor discomfort immediately after the completion of the procedure and that it takes some time to get used to the new smile.

Also, cosmetic dentistry procedures may vary in cost from $300 to $35,000, depending on their complexity or skill level of the doctor. What makes the cosmetic dentistry more costly than the general dentistry is the higher quality of the services provided and, not in the least, the fact that they are not covered by the dental insurance. Also, the materials used in cosmetic dentistry, such as porcelain veneers, porcelain inlays and onlays and other non-metal dental materials, are more expensive but at the same time, safer, stronger, longer lasting.

In the makeover enhancement of your smile, cosmetic dentistry specialist uses special procedures from teeth whitening to a complete set of veneers, crowns, implants and orthodontics. Teeth whitening proves to be the most common dental procedure used in the cosmetic dentistry, with a 300% growth during a research period of 5 years (1996 to 2000), according to statistics. Doctors confess that, presently, patients prefer in-office teeth whitening rather than take home products (which makes them happy!). Nonetheless, we all should know the teeth whitening options made available by the cosmetic dentistry in order to be able to choose the one that best suits us.

Specialist agree in presenting three general approaches in the whitening procedure, namely whitening toothpastes (also called dentifrices), at-home bleaching, and in-office bleaching. All toothpastes with teeth whitening effect help remove surface stains only, while over-the-counter and professional teeth whitening products act not only on the tooth surface but also deep in the tooth. The efficiency of the whitening toothpastes does not even come close to the bleaching effect you can get from your dentist’s office.

Laser bleaching is such an in-office procedure with systematic results, using different concentrations of laser light to activate the brushed-on bleaching solution. Though, laser bleaching is not recommended if you have old dental work, as it will not bleach bonding.

If choosing the at-home bleaching approach, there are four types of products to be used, such as: over-the-counter teeth whitening strips; over-the-counter teeth whitening gels; over-the-counter tray-based bleaching systems (with products purchased by yourself) and dentist supervised tray-based whitening procedure, in which case the whitening supplies are procured through your dentist’s office. Teeth whitening strips and gels have initial results in a few days and final results sustained for about for months but the degree of whitening achieved is much lower than the results attained with in-office or dentist supervised whitening procedure. Moreover, teeth whitening over-the-counter products deprive you from the close supervision of your dentist to keep an eye on the progress of the teeth whitening process and rummage around for signs of gum irritation. In short, teeth whitening strips and gels are considerable less expensive (ranging from $10 to about $55) than the in-office whitening procedures, which can rocket up to $800.

To cut a long story short, cosmetic dentistry has hit a stunning boom newly, supported by the constantly increasing number of patients speeding up to dentists offices looking for the perfect smile. With almost non-existent risks and a quick recovery time, cosmetic dentistry can prove to be a great way to foster a person’s career success and love life.