Tooth whitening is a treatment that allows you to have a whitened and bright smile. Do you dream of a bright smile? Methods and products are progressing relentlessly, fully respecting the health of our teeth. From professional treatments to home kits, a tour of the techniques that work.
The true promise of seduction and health, having a beautiful smile inevitably passes from a white and well-aligned tooth. Several factors of a hereditary nature (natural coloring or aging of the teeth), pathological (intake of tetracycline’s during the period of tooth formation), or related to our way of life (consumption of coffee, tea, smoking, wine, antidepressants … ) sometimes make ineffective, for aesthetic purposes, any cleaning operation; it is at this point that whitening becomes the only way to go.
Most whitening products are hydrogen peroxide-based and can effectively change the tint of your teeth. Today, many whitening techniques and products are available, divided into two main treatments:
1. Vital whitening is carried out on “living” teeth: if the teeth are stained by food or nicotine or if they are naturally yellowed with age, vital whitening can restore their full shine. Origin
2. Non-vital whitening is performed on teeth that are no longer “alive”: if the tooth is blackened following a root canal treatment, non-vital bleaching restores all its shine, from the inside of the tooth to the outside. Outside. Of course, only the dentist can perform this procedure.
Whitening assisted by a dentist
Today, various systems modify the color of the teeth, through night masks to put on the teeth or activations with halogen or laser light of various whitening substances. This should be done in the dentist’s office. He must be the trusted dentist to recommend the most appropriate treatment based on the characteristics of the case.
One of the systems considered to be among the most effective, adopted by this study, is based on hydrogen peroxide, whose lightning properties were discovered many years ago. On contact with the teeth, the peroxide develops oxygen which removes stains and lightens the color of the teeth, more than 9 degrees of average shade improvement in just one session. The most advanced technology designed to whiten teeth uses a special light source and the special properties of a whitening gel. This system does not create any structural changes to teeth, does not damage fillings, does not damage enamel, and is not harmful to the gum tissue.
The whitening procedure is effective: clinical tests show that with this whitening process there is an average improvement in the color of nine degrees of the “Vita” shade guide that dentists use to determine the colors of the teeth. The percentage of hydrogen peroxide contained in the bleaching gel is only 15%, much lower than other gels used in other professional bleaching methods, which have hydrogen peroxide concentrations between 35% and 50%. The gel is delicate: with a pH of 6, the entire whitening procedure is neutral without any acidity problems. But above all, this procedure is very fast compared to other tooth whitening methods available today: the whole treatment takes less than a minute.
Home whitening.
There are more and more ready-to-use kits, of guaranteed quality and at a price that is more affordable every day. Available in pharmacies and department stores, these kits are almost always based on a hydrogen peroxide-based gel, but in concentrations much lower than those used by the dentist. Among the novelties, there are three types of products:
• Transparent self-adhesive strips. Very practical and covered in variable proportions of gels, these fine and flexible polyethylene strips perfectly match the shape of the teeth for a very homogeneous deposit of gel. Two are usually supplied, one for the upper arch and one for the lower arch
• The gel with applicator allows a very precise application of the product for selective use on certain teeth or part of the tooth, guaranteeing a more localized coloring. A few minutes lying down is more than enough and there is no need to rinse. Generally, the hygiene of the applicator is guaranteed by an antibacterial agent contained in the formula;
• Disposable, hygienic single-dose masks are ready to use and do not require any prior adaptation. They almost always come with individual doses of gel. The use is very simple, just fill the gel mask and hold it in place. Place for 20 to 30 minutes until the desired result is achieved.
When there are too many stains: porcelain veneers
Veneers are small; very thin shells, made of acrylic or porcelain, which attach to the surface of the teeth. They are used to cover badly stained or chipped teeth, large fillings, or irregularly shaped teeth. The application procedure very briefly consists of three steps:
• Under local anesthesia, the dentist removes a very small part of the tooth enamel so that the veneers can then be applied. Impressions of teeth are taken and sent to the custom veneers are produced
• During the following visit, a slightly abrasive solution is applied to the teeth to roughen them and thus facilitate the adhesion of the veneers
• Each veneer is applied individually with composite resin cement.
