Teeth whitening is a procedure that an oral health professional performs to lighten the color of the teeth. This occurs when our teeth, due to the passage of time and due to the use of certain foods and substances, have darkened, have spots or have a characteristic yellowish color.
For this process, the specialist doctor uses safe and efficient teeth whitening techniques that lighten the teeth between one or two shades and that in the long term has an impact on oral health.
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Teeth whitening techniques
- Cold LED light technique
It is the technique of whitening using LED light, applying a whitening gel on the teeth and using LED light to accelerate this process.
- Teeth whitening at home
Splints are used that include a whitening gel that will be worn for a few hours a day.
- Mixed whitening
It is a combination of in-house teeth whitening treatments with clinic technology.
- Internal whitening
This painless technique is used in cases where the teeth have darkened after a root canal, where the objective now is to recover the initial shade of the tooth. It is only performed on those teeth that were damaged by this endodontics and several sessions in the clinic will be necessary.
Care after teeth whitening
After teeth whitening techniques, you should be careful with the foods to eat and habits such as smoking. Tobacco is one of the main causes of tooth stains. In addition, you should insist on cleanliness and thus maintain proper oral health.
Things you should know about teeth whitening
- It does not damage the enamel. The enamel will remain in perfect condition after this process, the only thing that can be experienced is a certain sensitivity to changes in temperature.
- The most used technique is the mixed one, which consists of treatment in the clinic where the splints are made and everything is prepared and then at home, following the professional’s recommendations.
- It is not a painful treatment but the tooth may experience sensitivity for a few hours.
- It can be done by anyone of any age who has good oral health and is not sensitive.
- It is an efficient technique when the tooth color has turned yellow. In gray or darker spots, the tone can be lowered a little but not completely lightened. However, a professional can assess it.
Some curiosities
It is women who most go to this procedure and the age in which they are located is 30 to 40. It is this group that is most demanding when it comes to having a whiter color.
Food and substances such as tea, coffee, carbonated drinks, red wine, pomegranate, strawberries or tobacco and some drugs cause the teeth to change color and present stains.
Teeth whitening techniques are never going to replace a daily cleaning of your teeth or a deep cleaning. Whitening is a matter of cosmetic dentistry and will never replace cleaning, which serves to eliminate bacteria and protect tooth enamel.
It improves self-esteem and can be somewhat addictive if the ideal target is sought, which depends a lot on the natural enamel of the tooth itself.