Teeth Whitening

Smile 4 You

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Want Whiter Pearly Whites?

Modern Ways to Achieve the Perfect Smile

Everyone desires to have a great smile. For a killer smile, one should have sparkling, bright, and shiny teeth.

Today, a lot of people are spending more money just to have their teeth whiter. They make use of the best teeth whitening treatments and undergo procedures to achieve the brilliant white teeth.

Teeth whitening had been an effective procedure to lighten the color of the teeth, without taking away any of the tooth surface. It will not completely whiten the whole set of teeth; it will just lighten the existing color of the teeth.

Only a few are blessed with pearly white teeth, and our teeth normally become discolored as we grow up.

Our teeth can also be stained on the outer part because of the food and drink. Coffee, tea, blackcurrant and red wine have effect on the discoloration of our teeth. Smoking is another cause of teeth discoloration. Most people may encounter staining beneath the surface which is caused by tiny cracks in the teeth or certain antibiotics that absorb the stains.

But what are these teeth whitening treatments and procedures? And are these done?

Bleaching. This is most common form of teeth whitening procedure. Your dentist will advice you if this is the best teeth whitening treatment suitable for you.

Bleaching is done by placing a gel or rubber to shield the soft tissue of your gums. Then, the whitening product will be applied on your teeth by using a special tray which shapes into your mouth like a gum shell.

The teeth whitening product usually contains carbamide peroxide and hydrogen peroxide as the 'active ingredients'. When these ingredients break down, the oxygen enters the enamel of your teeth thus, making the color lighter. The entire treatment can be completed in three to four weeks time.

For those who wish to undergo to this treatment, you will need at least three visits to the dentist. On your first visit, the dentist will create a mouth-guard and take a caricature or impressions of it. Once the treatment has started, it is recommended that you continue it at home. You have to regularly apply the teeth whitening product over four weeks, for at least 30 minutes at a time.

Most of the known and best teeth whitening products can be applied for up to several hours at a time. The treatment can be done even while you're sleeping. Ideally, a good result can be attained in as little as one week.

Laser Whitening. This is also called the "power whitening". Though expensive, a lot of people especially artists consider it as the best teeth whitening method.

During this process, a rubber dam is placed over your teeth to shield the gums, and the whitening product is then painted on your teeth. A laser will be used to stimulate the chemical. The light will help boost the chemical reaction of the bleaching product, thus the color change can be attained more rapidly.

Dentists believe that the result of laser whitening treatment is good. It can make your teeth up to six shades lighter.

Unfortunately, not everyone can get a chance to undergo laser treatment. The dentist will have to check your teeth and ensure that you are fit for the treatment. The total procedure is usually done in an hour.

The effects of this power whitening is said to last up to three years depending on the person. The dentist still advice not to smoke, eat and drink products that may cause a stain in your teeth. Others may find their teeth vulnerable to cold after the treatment. But these symptoms usually vanish within a few days.

These are just two of the famous and best teeth whitening methods available. Despite the fact that they may cost a lot, the effect is still worth it. Through these methods, you'll surely flash everyone a perfect smile.

Cost of Teeth Whitening

Appraising the Real Cost of Teeth Whitening



Whether you want to have a smile makeover for your prom night, or are just self-conscious since smoking cigarettes or drinking coffee have given you stained and yellow teeth, whitening remedies will surely brighten that smile and, hence, you can gain additional boost to your confidence. Learn some basic information about the nature of teeth whitening, categories of whitening methods and techniques, as well as teeth whitening costs of each method by reading the following selections.


What does tooth whitening mean?

Tooth whitening lies under the field of cosmetic dentistry. The process itself eliminates stains and other discolorations on the teeth due to tea, coffee, smoking, and other lifestyle-related activities. Additionally, whitening can also lighten other usual teeth pigmentations.

The extent of improvement of teeth appearance and success of the treatment depend on the nature and the severity of the stains and/or teeth discoloration. Typically stains due to tea, coffee, or smoking will brighten between four and five shades. Moreover, discolorations that are due to antibiotics and hereditary factors, that is natural pigmentation can lighten between two and three shades after whitening treatments.

Teeth whitening remedies can be categorized into two:



1. Professional whitening systems

This is usually performed by dentists using whitening gels and lasers to activate the solution. This is normally done inside a dental clinic.


2. Home-based teeth whitening remedy

This could either be done in-between appointments of professional treatments using whitening kits and tray-based whitening technique or are just home-made remedies from kitchen and medicine items. These applications are usually done at home and according to the frequency suggested by dentists and/or by a product’s instructions.

Regardless, teeth will noticeably be brighter after these teeth whitening methods. However, while there are a variety of over-the-counter whitening products and do-it-yourself or home-made whitening solutions, consulting a dentist and even a physician is the only way to validate the thousand and one claims of these remedies.

Aside from the available time and temperament of the patient, cost of teeth whitening treatments is also considered. Apparently, the cost of teeth whitening depends upon the type of teeth whitening method to be employed.

Costs of in-office dental whitening method usually lie between $ 500 and $ 2000. On the other hand, home-based bleaching trays that are customized by dentists may cost between $ 100 and $ 300. Using home-made solutions are often inexpensive. Paint whiteners such as Crest Night Effect and Colgate Simply White Night may cost for as low as $ 50 depending on the country to where these products are marketed.

Now ponder on these questions carefully, first, “To whiten or not to whiten?” then, “What are the common advantages and disadvantages of employing a whitening method?”

Nevertheless, any method applied on the surface of the teeth will surely result into brighter teeth, and hopefully a brighter smile. The length of time before the wanted results are achieved varies. Professional techniques are relatively immediate as compared to home-made remedies and over-the-counter whitening paints and kits.

However, peroxide-based gels used in the abovementioned methods of teeth whitening causes the teeth to become temporarily sensitive to cold and hot food, drinks, and even through exposure to air. Trays for whitening that are customized by dentists cause oversensitivity of the gums. Additionally, some of the whitening kits that are bought even without prescription may tear down and make the enamel of teeth thinner and thinner. This will expose the dentin, which may, in turn, be severely colored. These things, obviously, will add up to the cost of having that smile makeover.

Now come to think of it. Read again before you say, “Ahhhhh!”

Zoom

ZOOM! Chairside Teeth Whitening Systems: Is it Worth the Cost?


Dentists have various professional whitening systems to choose from for their patients. All of these whitening systems have unique characteristics but dentists’ standard for choosing the right product is its degree of effectiveness.

Below is a list of some professional whitening products dentists and professionals prefer. The kind of bleaching laser or light is enclosed in parentheses.

1. BriteSmile (gas plasma light/light emitting diode)

2. LaserSmile (a Biolase laser)

3. LumaArch (halogen light)

4. Rembrandt Sapphire (plasma arc light)

5. Zoom! (metal halide light)


Zoom! Chairside Teeth Whitening System is the product-competitor of a company named Discus Dental, Inc. against other teeth bleaching items in the marketplace. This product is a complete teeth whitening system. The said manufacturer provides dentists with major bleaching items: the tooth whitener, the bleaching laser, and even many of the ready to use and single-use items for patients that your dentists need when utilizing the Zoom! whitening treatments. Dentists usually pay around $ 1,500 for the system.

Like many other whitening systems, the Zoom! Chairside Teeth Whitening System uses certain a peroxide-based gel and its given activator. These two materials are combined together during the whitening process forming whitening gel that is very basic (has a pH range that is usually between 7.5 and 8.5) and is 25% hydrogen peroxide.

The Zoom! teeth bleaching product uses a metal halide light made from excited mercury atoms to activate and enhance the whitening solution combined above. Moreover, the steps that comprise the treatment do not necessarily vary from other professional whitening systems.

One additional feature of the Zoom! Laser light unit is built-in with an infrared filter that helps lessen the intensity of light coming in contact with the teeth during the treatment. However, Zoom! bleaching light can illuminate the lower and upper set of teeth simultaneously while the solution is being applied on the teeth’s surface.

The following summarizes some important characteristics of this professional whitening system.

1. The complete treatment normally takes about an hour and 30 minutes.

2. Each bleaching session, which lasts for 20 minutes, is divided into three separate applications of the Zoom! teeth whitener.

3. In other words, the contact of a patient’s teeth to the bleaching gel is one hour.

4. After the treatment, instructions on how to use additional whitening item and/or tray-based teeth bleaching items are given to patients so they can extend the whitening process even outside the dental clinic.

Now here comes the important question, “Should you opt for the Zoom! Chairside Whitening System?”

This is a resolution that needs to be discussed between you and the dentist who will perform the whitening treatment. The necessary information was already shed to you in this article. Generally speaking, many dentists trust this product as this is, according to many of them, an excellent product among other competitors. Besides, this product is created by a company that seems to have the sincerest intentions of producing a credible product since dentists should maintain their good reputations. Whatever outcomes happen to a patient after using the Zoom! Teeth whitening system, it should be as excellent as with any other high-end professional teeth bleaching systems.