Looking for ways of bleaching your teeth? One of the first places to check for reliable information is the American Dental Association (ADA). This organization discusses several aspects of the available products and services on its website. Here you will find information on the different ways of teeth whitening, such as those that work mostly on the surface versus those that go deeper. It also explains which methods should be used only by a dentist, and which ones can safely be used at home.
Both at home and by a dentist, most of the bleaching is done by peroxide teeth whitening methods. Home kits contain mostly a ten percent carbamide peroxide concentration, while dental or other professional offices use products with a much higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide, sometimes as high as fifteen to thirty five percent. The home kits are safer for bleaching your teeth, but the process may take several days or even weeks before the person sees a clear improvement in tooth color. On the other hand, a person can have a whitening procedure done in just a couple of hours with controlled applications of the stronger solution at a dentist’s office.
Even when someone has their teeth whitened in a dental office, the ADA warns that they might temporarily experience some extra sensitivity and some irritation of gum tissues. This is partly why the home kits have a lower concentration of peroxide, to reduce those effects in a setting where there is no professional supervision. In fact, the ADA suggests that because of such irritations and the occasional past instance of irreversible tooth damage, it may be better to use a professional teeth whitening service that involves careful planning by a licensed dentist, rather than take a chance with bleaching your teeth at home.
When it comes to bleaching your teeth with toothpaste, this is not accomplished via a bleaching method, but rather by an abrasive polish that will remove surface stains. The ADA has given its Seal of Acceptance to several of these, but for drastic alteration of tooth color, they are probably not the tooth whiteners that many people are looking for. However, being free of the bleach that is found in other whitening substances, and therefore free of some of the potential side effects, these toothpastes may be all that most people need.
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