Let’s Discuss What is the Best Way to Whiten Your Teeth
If you are considering the best way to whiten your teeth, it’s important to factor in some variables. This includes what your budget is, the time frame you are wanting to achieve, how much effort and time you are willing to commit to adding this into your routine, and the type of stains you have. It’s important to take into consideration any restrictions you may have regarding your oral health as well. Options can range anywhere from professional treatments that come with a hefty price tag, to do-it-yourself and budget-friendly.
Professional Treatments can Offer the Best Way to Whiten Your Teeth
If you have grey or brown discoloration, oral health problems, dental restorations, or certain diseases you will need to discuss your teeth whitening options with a dentist. For the most dramatic and instantaneous results, it’s best to visit your local dentist’s office or teeth whitening clinic for a professional whitening treatment, which offers a higher concentration of active bleaching ingredients. The downside is that professional whitening can cost anywhere from $200 to $1,500 dollars per treatment. If that’s not quite in your budget, the good news is that over-the-counter teeth whitening products have come a long way, and the aesthetic results can
now rival those treatments administered by your doctor, as long as you don’t have any underlying conditions.
The Best Teeth Whitening Products to Use at Home
If you have yellow teeth due to stains from food, drink, or aging then you should be able to use at home devices or products to help restore your smile. There are three main options for teeth whitening at home: toothpaste, strips, and light devices. Pastes offer minimal whitening results, due to low levels of bleaching ingredients, which also means they have a low chance of permanently damaging your enamel. Strips and light devices provide more dramatic results since the whitening ingredients make full contact with teeth for longer periods of time.
Whitening toothpaste pastes typically contain mild abrasives like hydrated silica, sodium bicarbonate, and calcium carbonate to polish and remove surface stains, essentially getting the “whitening” effect by scraping off the stains. Whitening toothpaste can also possibly contain low concentrations of active hydrogen peroxide to bleach teeth, which will strengthen the whitening effect.
Whitening strips use a plastic strip, tray, or mold to apply the bleaching ingredient hydrogen peroxide directly to teeth. Each session lasts between 30 minutes to two hours, and you’ll need up to three weeks of repeated use for full results. If you want to make your teeth white fast, strips are one of the most effective over-the-counter teeth whiteners, as the active ingredient is left on teeth for an extended period of time. It’s important to ensure you are using high-quality products so that you are not causing damage to the teeth.
Whitening light devices work by applying a whitening agent directly to the teeth, then a blue LED light is held over them to increase and accelerate results. Like teeth whitening strips, light devices are very effective because of the amount of time the active ingredient makes full contact with your teeth.
The Best DIY Way to Whiten Your Teeth
Made popular by online resources, there are a ton of Do-It-Yourself options for whitening your teeth at home. There seem to be so many ways to whiten your teeth but do they all work? Are they all safe? Will some actually do more harm than good? When whitening your teeth at home, always keep a close eye on how you react and stop any treatment immediately if you notice sensitivity or pain. Generally, these are the safest way to effectively whiten your teeth at home:
- Creating a Baking Soda paste to use as a toothpaste.
- Oil Pulling to help whiten teeth and used as anti-bacterial for overall oral health.
- Swishing with diluted Hydrogen Peroxide, but only minimally limited use as not to damage your enamel.
- Apple Cider Vinegar is considered a natural cleaning product but should be used very sparingly and quickly as to not soften your teeth.
- Practicing good oral hygiene by brushing and flossing daily.
- Prevent stains from forming and limit your intake of staining food and drinks, such as red wine and coffee.
There is a surplus of other DIY “hacks” for whitening teeth, but can be more harm than good, due to the high level of acidity that is proven to permanently damage your enamel. With no real studies to show the effectiveness and safety, the following are not recommended and should be avoided:
- Apple Cider Vinegar or Hydrogen Peroxide for long periods of time.
- Fruit peels are not backed up by science to have any sort of whitening effect, although made famous by celebrities.
- Activated Charcoal toothpaste has been proved to be too abrasive for teeth, especially for daily use.
What’s the best option for whitening sensitive teeth? If you have sensitive teeth, you’ll want to take some extra precautions before using at-home whitening products. It is recommended to see your dentist if you have sensitive teeth, as it may be a sign of dental problems. If your teeth are okay but you simply have sensitivity, your dentist can help with desensitizing treatments. Just ensure you are paying close attention to how your teeth react. If you experience sensitivity or if the edges of your teeth start to appear see-through, you should stop the whitening regimen immediately, so that permanent damage is not inflicted.
The Best Way to Whiten Your Teeth
For every Scenario, Good oral care, including regular brushing, flossing your teeth, and dental checkups and teeth cleanings will go a long way towards helping remove the surface stains. If you want to see significant results you’ll need to choose an option that really removes stains from the enamel on your teeth, such as in-chair treatments and whitening kits. Whitening toothpaste can also assist in helping you restore your smile and it is possible you can achieve desirable effects at-home by utilizing baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. As long as you do not have any oral health risks, you can establish a tooth whitening regime based on your individual needs and your budget.
People Also Ask
- Will whitening my teeth change the color of a fake tooth? If you have a fake tooth, at-home teeth whiteners will not damage it, and they will have no impact on its brightness or color. Generally, once that fake tooth is in place the color remains fairly stable and cannot be altered.
- How do teeth get so yellow? Some of the most common causes of tooth discoloration include drinking beverages such as coffee, soda, and wine. These substances get into the enamel of your teeth and can cause long-term discoloration. Excessive exposure to fluoride can cause the teeth to yellow, especially in children.
- What is the cheapest way to whiten your teeth? Using 1 part baking soda and 1 part water to create a paste to use on your teeth is considered the most cost-effective solution to whiten your teeth at home.
