What Everyone Should Know About Professional Teeth Whitening

The Hollywood smile has become a desirable, and perhaps even expected, look for many people. It is certainly true that the majority of celebrities have perfect-looking teeth, to accompany their apparent perfect lifestyles.

However, the reality is that the Hollywood smile is expensive and involves a complete makeover of your teeth. It isn’t just about getting shiny white teeth, they also need to look perfect.

While you may not have perfect-looking teeth, it is possible to indulge in some affordable professional teeth whitening and transform your look. Of course, the most important thing is choosing a reliable dentist with a good reputation, like this dentist St Leonards.

How Tooth Whitening Works

There are two main methods of professionally whitening your teeth, hydrogen peroxide, and carbamide peroxide.

If you choose to use over-the-counter products you will find whitening strips and kits, these often use hydrogen peroxide, making you think they are as effective. However, the over-the-counter options use a weaker version of the peroxide, making them less effective. In fact, the weaker chemical is unlikely to eliminate stains on your teeth effectively.

You could try a whitening toothpaste. However, these products basically use abrasion to remove stains on your teeth. Chemicals attack the stains at a molecular level, effectively preventing them from sticking to your teeth without damaging your enamel.

It is this that makes the professional approach the best option. The reason the stronger chemicals are only used by professionals is to ensure they are used correctly. If they are left on for too long you can damage your teeth, a professional ensures they are left on for just the right amount of time, giving you perfect white teeth.

It should be noted that this doesn’t always happen in one sitting. There are two variables that a dentist needs to consider:

• Health of teeth

Before a dentist will use whitening products on your teeth they will want to be sure that they are in good health. This means a general inspection, dealing with any cavities, eliminating plaque and tartar, and even taking care of any gum disease.

This must be done before the teeth can be successfully and uniformly whitened.

• Whitening ability

It is also important to consider the power of the chemical. To prevent damage to the teeth the dentist will only apply it for short periods of time. This means you may need several visits to get the tooth whiteness right.

The Tooth Whitening Procedure

It can help to understand what happens when you go to your dentist for professional tooth whitening.

• A tooth shade chart is used to determine the color of your teeth and how much lighter you want them.
• Teeth are polished with a special tool to remove all plaque
• A barrier is used to prevent the whitening agent from touching your gums and other parts of your mouth
• Whitening agent is applied and left in place for up to an hour
• Your mouth is rinsed to remove the whitening agent
• Essential habits are discussed along with additional treatments if you want it a different shade.