What You Need to Know About Tooth Whitening

Seeing your favourite celebrity on the television showcasing their gleaming white smile, only makes you wonder why your teeth aren’t gleaming white. According to Dr Tariq Drabu, a leading dentist and specialist oral surgeon, teeth aren’t naturally white and the only way to make them lighter in colour is to make use of a tooth whitening procedure, professionally offered by your dentist.

There are a host of products available on the market today when it comes to tooth whitening, from toothpastes, which help eliminate stains and marks to home kits. All of which can be dangerous to your teeth and can cause long term damage, if you don’t read the ingredients with care. The safest solution is to make use a professional tooth whitening service, but there are still certain things you need to know about and bear in mind.

There are side effects associated with all tooth whitening procedures. The most common is that you may experience sensitivity after the procedure. This usually lasts around twenty four hours if you have chosen to have your tooth whitened professionally. You can manage the pain easily by making use of over the counter pain medication and taking it every six to eight hours.

Another side effect that is more common when using home whitening kits is that you can irritate the soft tissues in your mouth, such as your gums. This is often experienced if the solution gets onto your gums during the whitening process.

Dr Tariq Drabu advised that over the counter tooth whitening kits include a mouth guard which holds the solution. The problem with this is it is “one size fits all” and not specifically made for that patient, this means that the whitening solution can leak out and cause considerably discomfort and pain to the gums and surrounding tissues.

The next thing that many people don’t realise when it comes to tooth whitening is that the procedure doesn’t provide them with sparkling white teeth for a lifetime. In fact these procedures last only a few years and then need to be done again. The majority of people who choose tooth whitening procedures are looking for a solution to hide their discoloured or stained teeth, this could be after years of smoking or alcohol abuse. There are those that want this solution to help them feel better about themselves and boost their self-confidence moving forward.

Another thing that many people who choose tooth whitening solutions aren’t aware of is that each person will experience a different result. This is due to the fact that natural teeth aren’t white, which means one person’s teeth may be slightly more yellowed than another’s. The whitening procedures can only lighten the tooth colour by a few shades, which means one person will have almost white teeth and another will have lighter coloured teeth. Either way, the person will feel better about themselves with improved confidence and self-esteem.

Dr Tariq Drabu mentioned that it is so important to advise your dental professional if you are pregnant or breast feeding. As with hair colours, you should not consider tooth whitening solutions until your baby is completely weaned and no longer breast feeding, reducing the risk of passing on any chemicals to your new family addition.

Finally, a point to bear in mind. If you decide against all the advice and recommendations and choose a home whitening kit, it can be very overpowering. It’s easy to over bleach your teeth or even have uneven whitening, which can leave you with teeth that you don’t want to show to others.