Many people would like to have their teeth whitened but they are apprehensive about the procedure. This is because they lack adequate information about what that process entails. This article discusses how tooth whitening works.

The Use of Bleaching Agents

This method entails the use of active ingredients, such as hydrogen peroxide, to remove the stains that have caused your teeth to become stained or brown. The cost of this method varies depending on the specific approach taken.

For instance, your dentist can recommend that you use a laser-activated bleaching agent to whiten your teeth at the dentist's office. Such a procedure would cost you much more than whitening products that you would buy from a drugstore and apply them using your toothbrush at home.

The "chair-side" method (done at the dentist's office) may cost you more but it gives quicker results. After a while (for instance one year), your teeth will become stained again if you smoke or take lots of coffee so you will have to repeat the procedure from time to time.

The dentist can also make a customized mouthpiece for you so that you wear it for a few hours each day until all stains are gone. Once they return, you simply retrieve your mouthpiece from where you had kept it and repeat the procedure without incurring any additional cost. This method keeps whitening costs low since you only pay for the mouthpiece once.

Non-Bleaching Methods

These methods rely on a degree of physical abrasion to remove stains. That abrasion is from the toothbrush and toothpaste that you use on a daily basis. This approach removes stains that are on the surface of your teeth and has no effect on underlying stains. Some kinds of toothpaste may have whitening chemicals added to them to aid this removal of stains so examine the label of your toothpaste if you would like to use non-bleaching methods of whitening your teeth.

Non-bleaching methods cost less than bleaching methods but bleaching methods give better results since they tackle surface and underlying stains on teeth.

If you would like to have your teeth whitened, talk to a provider of tooth whitening services such as TLC Dental so that the best option is selected for you. Remember that the choice of method will put into consideration your oral health. For instance, if you suffer from gum diseases then bleaching methods may not be right for you since the bleaching agents may irritate your gums. As long as you discuss this matter with your dentist, you should have no fear of adverse effects since tooth whitening is a safe procedure.

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