Methods Of Teeth Whitening, Both In Office And At Home

One of the most popular procedures of cosmetic dentistry today is tooth bleaching or teeth whitening. There are different methods that dentists use to make their patient's teeth whiter. Traditional methods of teeth whitening usually include the use of oxidizing agents such as hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. According to cosmetic dentistry pasadena centers, the oxidizing agent penetrates the porosities in the rod-like crystal structure of enamel and oxidizes interprismatic stain deposits. Over a period of time, the dentin layer, lying underneath the enamel, is also bleached. Another method used by cosmetic dentists is the use of lasers.

Teeth Whitening Agents
There are currently two kinds of oxidizing agents that dentists, as well as normal people, use for teeth whitening - the low-concentration bleaching gels and high-concentration bleaching gels. Bleaching gels are generally used by both dentists and ordinary people. Home use of bleaching gels is usually comprised of low-concentration bleaching gels, although there are stores that also sells high-concentration bleaching gels. The major differences between the two types of bleaching gels are their effects and side effect.

Low-concentration whitening is far less effective than high-concentration gels. It typically takes 5-14 days of use to attain its results. Although some people may achieve whiter teeth in a few days, others may only see very little results or no results at all. High-concentration gels, however, are much more effective.

High-concentration bleaching can be accomplished either in the dental office, or at home. Performing the procedure at home is accomplished using high-concentration carbamide peroxide. Results usually takes several days, but with improved results compared to low-concentration gels. The only drawback is that risk of causing soft tissue burning because of the gel. According to cosmetic dentistry pasadena centers, the bleaching gel typically contains between 10-30% carbamide peroxide (15% is recommended) which is roughly equivalent to 3-10% hydrogen peroxide concentration, whereas low-concentration only contains less than 10%.

Laser Whitening
Lasers have long been used for different surgical procedures in medicines such as bloodless surgery, eye surgery, kidney stone treatment, eye treatment, and more recently, in dentistry. Lasers have now been widely used to provide whiter teeth compared to the use of whitening agents. According to cosmetic dentistry pasadena centers, the advantage of using lasers is that it typically takes an hour for the whole treatment to be finished. Soft tissue burning, usually associated with the use of high-concentration gels, is not an issue with the use of lasers. The only disadvantage of using lasers is the cost of the procedure.