How to Whiten Teeth Without Harming Your Health?
The modern market of oral hygiene products offers a solution to seemingly any problem. Are you dreaming of a Hollywood smile and perfect white teeth? There is a huge range of all kinds of whitening pastes. The only truth is that even whitening toothpaste cannot change the color of teeth - they are simply not able to significantly whiten them. Then what are they for and how can you really make your teeth white?
How Does Whitening Toothpaste Work?
As mentioned above, whitening toothpaste, like any other, is not capable to whiten the teeth. Any toothpaste mostly has a mechanical effect on the enamel and less - chemical, medical and so on. In certain cases, with regular use of whitening toothpaste, your teeth may seem whiter. However, this isn’t due to whitening, but because of the mechanical cleaning.
The fact is that most whitening toothpaste is highly abrasive, they contain a large number of particles-abrasives. These abrasive particles not only remove soft plaque, as ordinary pastes do, but also clean off hard plaque, and sometimes even partially remove the calculus. But when the tooth enamel is damaged, these abrasives leave microscopic scratches on it, which can later turn into cracks, which leads to tooth decay.
Is There an Alternative to Using an Abrasive Whitening Toothpaste?
You probably know that you need to visit the dentist at least twice a year. Prevention is the guarantee of health. Unfortunately, not everyone abides by this rule. And very few people know that twice a year they need to visit not only a dentist to check the teeth for cavities, but also a hygienist to undergo a professional cleaning procedure. The fact is that the brush and toothpaste can clean the teeth only from the soft plaque - the one that is formed during the day or night. In addition, regardless of the thoroughness of brushing, the teeth are gradually covered with a hard plaque. Lack of effective daily oral hygiene, dietary disorders, smoking, and many other factors exacerbate this process.
The dental hygienist removes hard plaque and calculus with the help of special scalers and, unlike high-abrasive toothpaste, does this without harm to the health of the teeth. The teeth are treated with special compositions and, if necessary, covered with varnish. Also, the doctor may suggest a procedure for remineralization of teeth, if he believes that you need it. Regular sessions of professional cleaning significantly lighten the teeth by removing the colored plaque. However, it is not teeth whitening.
How to Make the Teeth White?
Whitening teeth to a whiter color is possible only through professional whitening. Professional teeth whitening is divided into chemical, laser, and light teeth whitening methods. In fact, all of them are chemical, since the main active component is unchanged - this is a composition based on hydrogen peroxide. But in the first case, the impact occurs without a catalyst, in the second method, the effect of the composition is catalyzed by a laser beam, and in the third - by light. Professional home whitening is carried out either using the same whitening composition and a special cap or with the help of whitening strips impregnated with a similar composition.
Teeth whitening occurs due to the impact not on the enamel, which in itself is transparent, but on the deeper dental tissue - dentin. The color of your teeth largely depends on its hue, which appears through the enamel. Dentin is almost never naturally white. Usually, it is colored and pigmented. Its color varies from light yellow to dark yellow, it can also be gray or pinkish. The essence of professional whitening is dentin bleaching.
So What Is Whitening Paste Used For?
Does it mean that whitening toothpaste is harmful and completely useless? Of course not. More precisely - not all. Some professional whitening toothpaste is able to maintain the effect of professional whitening and cleaning due to the presence of hydroxyapatites in them - microelements that promote the restoration of enamel and prevent the formation of plaque.
Also, some whitening toothpaste can help heavy smokers, coffee lovers, strong tea lovers, and red wine lovers by dissolving a thin colored film and discoloration of dental plaque. However, only a dentist is able to help you choose the right toothpaste. Such a paste in the first place shouldn’t contain a large number of highly abrasive particles. You also need to remember that any whitening types of toothpaste are contraindicated for people with hyperesthesia (tooth sensitivity), children and adolescents with a removable bite, and pregnant women.
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