By Jordan Weis Submitted On May 19, 2011
Stained teeth are an embarrassment for many people. These discolored teeth cause many people to become self-conscious every time they smile when others are around.
In fact, it is not uncommon to see people put their hand over their mouth when they smile in order to hide their teeth.
In fact, it is not uncommon to see people put their hand over their mouth when they smile in order to hide their teeth.
People who smoke, drink lots of dark liquids such as tea, coffee and red wine, or who eat certain foods on a regular basis can get stains on their teeth that are difficult to remove. Some medications can also cause the tooth enamel to stain and lose its brilliance.
Changing the color of stained teeth has become a lucrative business for dentists in the last few years. Cosmetic dentistry often uses dental bleaching to whiten the teeth but many other options are available. Laser bleaching works fast and can produce great results but can also be quite expensive. It has been used for over fifty years, and consists of applying a special gel on the teeth and then using a laser to activate the gel. The gel breaks down stain material on the teeth that can then be rinsed away with water.
Other professionally applied options involve placing a thin coating over the teeth to change colors that do not respond to bleaching efforts. These methods of changing the color of teeth can be very expensive in comparison to other methods, so they are only used when nothing else works.
Many companies have provided over-the-counter products in recent years that allow people to whiten their teeth at home at a much lower cost than professionals charge. These bleaching solutions are usually not as powerful as the ones dentists use and so it can take much longer to see the desired results.
Using chemicals to whiten teeth is not risk free. Chemical burns can appear in the mouth if a strong bleaching gel is used incorrectly and may even cause cancer in the mouth. Teeth can also become too white if they are over-bleached. This may result in tooth pain and in teeth that are very sensitive to hot and cold.
It is not uncommon for teeth to lose their white look after a while and then the whole bleaching procedure has to be repeated. Some studies have shown that teeth can lose almost 50 percent of their whitening within a week in some cases. If the whitening was produced by dehydrating the teeth, then much of it will disappear once the teeth become hydrated again.
Studies have also shown that tooth enamel is not adversely affected by home bleaching products. An increase in teeth sensitivity and gum tenderness may be experienced initially, but these are usually gone within three days.
Many do-it-yourself products are available for people who want to whiten their own teeth in order to save money and time by not using professional teeth whitening services. Three of these products that have worked well for many people are called Idol White, Bella Labs Teeth Whitening System and AltaWhite Teeth Whitening.
The key to remember when whitening teeth at home is to give the products plenty of time to work and to not expect to see professional results within a few days. The strength of the contents of these products is tightly controlled in order to limit the damage that can result from incorrect usage. It is safe to say that the strength of the ingredients, such as Hydrogen Peroxide or Carbamide Peroxide, will be much lower than professionals would use.
Also, not all products work equally well for all people. How well a product works will depend on its ingredients and on the cause of the tooth stains. Some tooth stains simply do not respond to any of the whitening products designed for home use and professional treatments may be required.
More information about these three teeth whitening treatments can be obtained from our Idol White Review [http://bestselfcareproducts.com/idol-white-review], Bella Labs Teeth Whitening Review and AltaWhite Review [http://bestselfcareproducts.com/altawhite-review] web pages. Reviews for many other health related products are also available at that review site.
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