Many people have discoloured teeth to a lesser or greater degree. This discoloration can be due to a combination of many causes, for example from smoking, drinking tea and coffee and even from mineral deposits found in normal drinking water. The effect of all these things is cumulative over time. But help is at hand with a variety of tooth whitening procedures now being available, ranging from inexpensive home treatments, to much more expensive techniques performed by your dentist.

However it should be stated that having white teeth isn't a prerequisite to having good health in general - it is possible to have discoloured teeth and still be fit and healthy. Teeth whitening is a purely cosmetic dental procedure.

Teeth whitening embraces a range of dental procedures designed to change tooth color from a state of discoloration to a whiter shade. Achieving brilliant whiteness, whilst possible, is not always achievable. Simple tooth whitening procedures include employing a whitening toothpaste, gel or whitening strips available from many stores. More sophisticated procedures involve a visit to your dentist who will discuss with you the options available, which will include bleaching and laser whitening.

What to expect from a whitening procedure depends very much upon the type of discoloration already present, not to mention the health of the teeth. Employing some of the more basic products will produce only very slight changes, whilst procedures carried out in your dentist's office, particularly bleaching and laser whitening, will have a much greater effect in enhancing overall whiteness.

Several products, such as whitening toothpastes, will only be limited in their effect, since they can only address superficial discoloration of the teeth, and will not whiten more deeply. However the bleaching process can whiten teeth more deeply, addressing discoloration caused by other health factors, even inherited discoloration. But whatever the whitening process, creating a uniform whiteness of a tooth which was not uniform on color at the outset, is much more difficult to achieve.

Basic teeth whitening procedures will simply remove stains. However in the dental surgery, the most frequently used whitening procedure is bleaching. This is carried out by fitting a tray over the teeth which contains a carbamide peroxide gel. As the gel chemically decomposes, oxygen is released into the teeth, which then has the effect of bleaching the discolorations. No change is made to the tooth structure and no effect will be seen in the color of crowns, fillings, bonding agents, etc. Bleaching tends to succeed well with yellowing teeth, but much less well with brown or graying teeth. Teeth can also become temporarily more sensitive after the bleaching procedure. A more sophistic procedure for addressing a variety of discoloration issues is laser whitening.

To maintain the whiteness, it will be necessary to continue with the whitening treatment at regular intervals, otherwise the discoloration will start returning. Some whitening procedures can be carried out in one session, for others it will be necessary to return to the surgery one or more times until the desired degree of whiteness is obtained.

As regard to the cost of teeth whitening, this can range from just a few dollars for the most basic procedures carried out yourself at home, to many hundreds of dollars for bleaching and laser whitening at the dentist's surgery. The cheapest solution might be to use one of the various whitening kits available on the market. It can sometimes also possible to obtain more powerful whitening agents direct from your dentist. However, best results will normally be obtained by your dentist using the most up-to-date technology, particularly laser whitening.

When considering tooth whitening, don't be afraid to consult with your dentist as to the range of options available and the best option in your particular situation. Also ask about the likely outcome of the whitening procedures. Finally, it is wise to beware of false claims that might be made for various purchased whitening kits. Best results will almost always be obtained in your dentist's surgery.

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For further information on caring for your teeth, oral hygiene and tooth whitening London, please contact a professional holistic dentist and cosmetic dentist london.