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About Tooth Whitening

Little White Lie #1

The Lie: Whitening toothpastes are highly effective at whitening your teeth.

The Truth:
No one would argue that you shouldn’t brush your teeth regularly and whitening toothpaste certainly couldn’t hurt. Brushing your teeth is vital to the health of your teeth as well as being a basic tenet of good hygiene. However, the ingredients in whitening toothpastes just don’t spend enough time in direct contact with your teeth to provide the kind of results that people tend to believe that they have.
Your saliva prevents the whitening agents in these toothpastes from being in contact long enough to do any real good in terms of tooth whitening. The active ingredients in these toothpastes are also usually present in such low concentrations that even if they did spend enough time in contact with your teeth, they still wouldn’t be terribly effective. They’re a great idea, but whitening toothpastes really don’t do anything that regular toothpastes don’t.

Little White Lie #2

The Lie: If you want your teeth whitened, the best course of action is to see your dentist.

The Truth:
Yes, it is true that your dentist can help you to get whiter teeth. However, you don’t have to go to your dentist to get the same effect. The whitening agent which your dentist uses is almost invariably either Carbamide Peroxide or Hydrogen Peroxide: the same whitening agents used in do-it-yourself tooth whitening systems.
How effective these peroxide tooth whitening systems are depends on two things: How high of a concentration of peroxide is present in the whitening gel and how long this product spends in direct contact with your teeth.
What does this mean? It’s simple – you can use a high concentration whitening solution for a short period of time as your dentist would, or a lower concentration product for a longer duration; the approach used with do it yourself teeth whiteners.
Of course, there is one other thing to consider here: price. The cost of an office visit and whitening procedure performed by your dentist is far higher than the cost of a whitening treatment which you can administer yourself at home. The results are the same, but the price of doing it yourself is usually 25% or less than the cost of having your dentist perform the procedure. Knowing this, it should come as no surprise to you that more and more people are choosing home tooth whitening systems.

Little White Lie #3

The Lie: All tooth whitening products are the same.

The Truth:
The quality and the efficacy of different tooth whitening products varies greatly, as do the methods of application. Some of these products work better than others and some really can’t be said to work at all, if the truth is to be told.
The difference generally comes down to the ingredients used in the product. Different whitening gels differ in their concentration of active ingredients – and thus in the degree to which they are effective. Before making a purchase, you should look at the different products; some are made for specific types and levels of staining.

Little White Lie #4

The Lie: Bleaching your teeth hurts the teeth and the gums.

The Truth:
Tooth bleaching does not harm your teeth or your gums. The whitening agent is applied directly to your teeth and a process of oxidation begins which dissolves the deposits of organic materials which stain or discolor teeth. No harm is done to the teeth or the gums – it is possible that the teeth may temporarily become sensitive, though this is a short-lived side effect which can be eliminated by reducing the time that the agent is applied to the teeth.
Gum irritation happens to some users, though this is usually due to a tray which is improperly designed and allows the whitening gel to contact the gums – a compelling argument to use the at home tooth whitening systems which include custom whitening trays.

Little White Lie #5

The Lie: Whitening strips are the most effective method of whitening the teeth

The Truth:
Our teeth are as unique as we are. This means that it’s impossible to design a whitening strip which can actually maintain contact with the entire surface of our teeth. Even in a best case scenario, these strips can only help whiten the front surface of your teeth, with grooves in the teeth and the gaps between your teeth left unaffected by the whitening strip. What these strips cause is uneven tooth whitening, leaving a striped appearance, with stains apparent on the parts of the teeth which they don’t cover. Many consider this to actually be worse than the original problem!

Little White Lie #6

The Lie: You don’t need a custom whitening tray; besides, the thermoform trays are cheaper

The truth:
In reality, you do need a custom whitening tray to get the best results. You wouldn’t assume that someone else’s dentures would fit you properly, would you? A custom tray properly fits your teeth, unlike a whitening strip or a thermoform tray, which leaves unattractive stripes of staining and discoloration where they don’t completely stay in contact with your teeth. A custom tray can also prevent gum irritation by keeping the whitening gel from leaking out of the tray – providing more efficient whitening and less potential for irritation.

Little White Lie #7

The Lie: Paint on style tooth whiteners are the best way to go since they’re the easiest kind to use.

The Truth:
If only it were so easy! These products sound like a good idea, but they have the same problem as whitening toothpastes – your saliva will tend to wash away the whitening agent. These products also usually contain very low concentrations of the active ingredient to prevent irritation to your gums and lips. Some of these products don’t even try to remove stains, being designed to literally whitewash the teeth. Even the best of these products don’t provide long lasting effects and tend to produce an unnatural look.

Little White Lie #8

The Lie: Whitening products which use electroluminescence are more effective, since they activate the tooth whitening agents in the gel.

The Truth:
These products are nothing new; what they are is ineffective. The electroluminescence used in these products don’t do anything except for look pretty. There is no added effect to these products by virtue of this light and it’s not necessary to remove staining and get whiter teeth. This is a marketing ploy, plain and simple.

Little White Lie #9

The Lie: Tooth bleaching produces the same results for everybody.

The Truth:
Everyone’s teeth are different and so are the stains which they have. Some stains are more difficult to remove than others with bleaching. Yellowish stains are the easiest to bleach, with brownish stains being somewhat more difficult and greyish stains being more difficult still.

Little White Lie #10

The Lie: Swallowing tooth whitening gel is harmful

The Truth:
There is about a 100% chance that you’ll swallow at least a little bit of tooth whitening gel regardless of which tooth whitening system you choose. It’s not harmful, though it does have an odd taste.

Little White Lie #11

The Lie: Tooth whitening can cause mouth cancer

The Truth:
These claims have no basis in fact and have been refuted by many dental health professionals. The reason that some worry about this is that the peroxide used in most tooth whitening gels can break down into the unstable oxygen molecules known as free radicals, which can cause cellular damage. Of course, this should be taken in light of the fact that the concentrations of peroxide in tooth whitening gels are far too low to pose a risk of cancer or any kind of harm to the mouth. What this means is that you can relax – you’re not going to place yourself at any risk of mouth cancer by using tooth whitening products.

Little White Lie #12

The Lie: Tooth whitening weakens your teeth.

The Truth:
There is absolutely no factual basis for this. Even fruit juices can cause more damage to your teeth than whitening gels; your teeth are at no risk whatsoever.

Little White Lie #13

The Lie: Tooth whitening gels which use hydrogen peroxide are formulated to contain lower concentrations than those which use carbamide peroxide and as such are better.

The Truth:
Hydrogen peroxide based whitening gels do use lower concentrations than do those which use carbamide peroxide. This is because hydrogen peroxide is a stronger whitening agent, so a gel which contains 18% carbamide peroxide is equal in strength to one which contains 6% hydrogen peroxide. The two agents are equally effective.

Little White Lie #14

The Lie: Laser whitening works faster and better than at home teeth whitening products.

The Truth:
The same rules apply here as for dentist administered whitening treatments vs. at home whitening. Both can provide the same results, though doing it yourself saves you a significant amount of money. Laser whitening treatments are not inherently faster either; it all comes down to the strength of the whitening agent used.

Little White Lie #15

The Lie: Tooth whitening also whitens fillings, crowns, bridges and other dental work.

The Truth:
Tooth whitening products are designed to remove stains from your teeth and only your teeth. While it’s not impossible that they could whiten dental work, but users should not expect this effect. If you want your dental work to match your whitened teeth, you may need some touch up work done at your dentist’s office to whiten crowns, veneers and other non-natural surfaces.

Little White Lie #16

The Lie: Once you whiten your teeth once, you never need to do it again.

The Truth:
Unless you can somehow avoid ever staining your teeth again, you’ll likely need to perform teeth whitening on a regular basis. How often all depends on your diet and lifestyle, since some foods and habits tend to cause staining more quickly.

Little White Lie #17

The Lie:
No matter what your age teeth whitening is for you.

The Truth:
Not everybody’s teeth areok for bleaching. Kids and teenagers can have particularly sensitive teeth compared to grown ups because their nerve chambers are bigger and therefore more susceptible to feeling. It is therefore not adviseable to subject young people to the tooth whitening process.

Little White Lie #18

The Lie:
Years of dark teeth mean it’s too late for at-home tooth whitening solutions, you need a dentist.

The Truth:
Not everyone is born with pearly white teeth; but not many people are born with a set of dark teeth either. Discolored teeth are usually the result of eating, drinking, and smoking habits. And regardless of how dark you think your teeth are, they may still be candidate for at-home tooth whitening systems.
Don’t forget that dentist in-office treatments and at-home tooth bleaching solutions use the same procedure and in most cases, the same tooth whitening agent. The only difference is that you are applying the tooth whitening procedure over a longer length of time as opposed to having a ‘high-dosage treatment’ at the dentist. As such, if you have really dark teeth, it simply means you use the at-home tooth whitening system longer.

Little White Lie #18

The Lie:
After years with your stained teeth it is too late to whiten at home. You must see a dentist.

The Truth:
People are not born with pearly white teeth or with dark teeth. The stains on your teeth are caused by discoloring from your habits of eating, drinking and smoking.
You can use at home products no matter how stained your teeth may be.
Both dentist office and at home methods are very similar. They use similar bleaching agents and procedures.
At home procedures take longer than in the office. That is the only main difference.
For really dark teeth, you cans till do it at home. You just have to do the treatment longer.

Little White Lie #19

The Lie:Bad breath can be cured by tooth whitening.

The Truth:
Halitosis, bad breath, is a result of bacteria in the mouth that can be caused from smoking, eating or poor hygiene. There are many different cures, depending upon the cause.Bad breath is not cured easily. You may need to take many steps to find the right solution. You should figure out what will sure your bad breath and get to what is causing it to find that cure. Tooth whitening does not cure bad breath because it does nothing for dental health. It does not clean between the teeth or gums and does not penetrate through the bacteria in the mouth. It just has no effect on bad breath.

Little White Lie # 20

The Lie:Whitening at home means that you do not have to worry about visiting the dentist.

The Truth:
Whitening at home is not going to fix all your problems. You should always discover the reason behind your tooth discoloration before trying at home problems. This means consulting with your dentist first. Doing so will help you to be sure that at home whitening will solve your problem. At home whitening products may help you to whiten your smile successfully, but you still need to stick with regular dental check ups. Dental problems include more than stained teeth. You still need your dentist to ensure your dental health is on the right track. Stick with regular check ups.

Little White Lie #22

The Lie:
At home tooth whitening takes a long time before you can see results.

The Truth:
Whitening your teeth at home takes only about 10 to fifteen applications. Think about how you would have to schedule a dentist appointment and take off work to attend the appointment and follow ups. Those ten to fifteen applications are convenient and are something you can do on your own time without disrupting your life.

Little White Lie #23

The Lie: Side effects do not occur with teeth whitening.

The Truth:
Side effects may not be common, but they do occur. For some people they have sensitivity in their teeth or irritated gums after a procedure. By shortening the application or going longer between applications these side effects can be minimized. They are only temporary anyway and occur with at home and in office whitening. Stopping your whitening procedures will stop tooth sensitivity. Gum problems are often the result of trays not fitting properly. This can be easily avoided by choosing a system that has a tray that is custom fit to your mouth.