Teeth Whitening: The process wherein the color of the teeth is lightened is called as tooth whitening. There are various reasons for teeth getting discolored. The main causes are stains of tea, tobacco, coffee, antibiotics etc. These can be removed by tooth whitening. People who have sensitive teeth should not use teeth whitening. People with sensitive teeth would have more problems if they use teeth whitening solutions.
There are many tooth whitening treatments available, some of them are:
1) Bleaching kits: Tooth bleaching solution is applied to the mouth tray and it is inserted into the mouth. After an hour or two or as mentioned in the kit the tray is removed. Most of them work for an hour. The solution contains peroxide, which bleaches the enamel. The carbamide peroxide content in the solution is normally of ten, sixteen or twenty two percent. Some bleach is used twice a day for two weeks while others are used overnight for 1-2 weeks.
2) Laser tooth whitening: A solution is applied on the teeth. A wall made out of rubber is placed on the teeth and the laser is directed towards the teeth and the heat generated enters the teeth through the solution and the treatment takes an hour or so. After the treatment is completed you can see the changes.
3) Whitening Toothpastes: These toothpastes have special chemicals that remove the stains. The main advantage of the whitening toothpaste is it does not change the natural color of the teeth. Colgate Simply White Advanced Whitening Toothpaste is recommended.
4) Tooth whitening strips: These strips are placed on the teeth and are removed after 30 minutes. These are very effective and are recommended. They also contain peroxides.
If the above mentioned ways of treatment are done properly then there won't be any problem. There is no long-term data on safety of these tooth-whitening treatments.