Sunday, November 20, 2011

The pros and cons of teeth whitening kits

For those of us who have somewhat yellowish or off-color teeth, teeth whitening kits might be a consideration. It is a simple option, available at any nearby Wal-Mart or drug store that doesn't require a whole lot of patience or visiting your dentist. Many times, the effects of the options readily available to us are quite astounding and help to brighten our smiles and overall presence in a room.

Kits that you can use in your home will work for changing your smile anywhere from three to eleven shades of color. Whether it be in gel form, whitening trays, toothpaste or strips, each of these works in a very similar way and is much less invasive than what your dentist can do with laser teeth whitening procedures (and far less costly).  However, like anything else you're using, you have to think about whether or not you should, if there are more pros and cons out of it for you, or you could do some serious harm to your smile.

A simple solution is tooth whitening paste because it requires very little effort, it's really just about brushing your teeth as you do as always, merely replacing your current toothpaste with whitening toothpaste such as Crest 3D White. The price-point is just right, costing just a little bit more than regular toothpaste (by about a dollar or two), and there is no associated pain or adverse effects. If you have severe discoloration, you won't see much improvement, if any, from these toothpastes, but they have been proven not to affect the health of your enamel, so you don't risk anything from trying it out.


No matter what you are doing, if you're using a medicated or chemical agent, you should always follow the instruction precisely. Have a timer with you when you are whitening your teeth and make sure you do not leave the strips or trays on longer than the instructions say to or you can ruin the enamel coating that protects your teeth naturally. Some people can experience tooth sensitivity where anything that touches their teeth causes extreme pain and awful sensation. Obviously, if you have used teeth whitening methods and this happens, stop immediately and visit your dentist or use Sensodyne toothpaste. You should not be using tooth whitening kits if you have receding gums, sensitive teeth and gums in general, or are allergic to peroxide (active ingredient in tooth whitening kits), but you should discuss it with your dentist before you go ahead and attempt doing so on your own. It is also important to note what kind of teeth you have because brownish-tinted and grayish-tinted teeth do not bleach well and if you have obvious fillings, bleaching will do nothing for their color but make them stand out even more in comparison to the rest of your newly-whitened teeth.

An easy way to make sure your teeth are white is to follow a proper diet heavily infused with fruits, vegetables, and drinking plenty of water. If you drink red wine, pop, caffeinated drinks, or colored drinks, you will diminish the whitening result fairly quickly. It almost goes without writing that if you smoke cigarettes, you should quit for a myriad of reasons, one of them being that they stain your teeth permanently and whitening kits won't do anything for you.

You may have other, associated issues causing your teeth to change color, for example, if you suffer from Bruxism (tooth grinding) you will wear away the bottoms of your teeth and inside the chipped areas  you will see yellowness. You should go see your dentist if this is the case for you so that they will provide you with a custom mouth-guard to be worn at nighttime when you cannot control your jaw's motions.

9 comments :

  1. great post!

    I whiten my teeth and use the whitening strips. I am one of those people who experience the sensitivity. Here's a little tip that works for me: I start to use the sensitive toothpaste about a week before i know i'm going to whiten my teeth. It does cut down on the sensitivity after using the strips.

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  2. thanks for the tip!! I'm sure people reading this will be happy to note that! I know tons of people who experience sensitivity from teeth whitening, so this is a great tip

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  3. Everybody wants whiter teeth and a more beautiful smile. A smile is a natural gift and one should take an extra care for it. If you have a sweet smile then it certainly reflects your healthy lifestyle. You tend to smile more often due to your perfect shining teeth and also because of your high level of confidence. You spend lots of money to get your teeth whitened. Teeth whitening method is used to regain the whiteness of the teeth. These methods are very popular now a days because the procedure is very simple and successful and it also boosts your confidence level. As a result, you will get healthy and white teeth. All of us want perfection in our appearance and outlook and so the tooth plays a vital role.

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  4. One of the most popular reasons to visit the dentist these days is to explore whitening options for your teeth. Many people have habits and consume products that stain teeth. Coffee, tea, wine, and cigarettes are all common culprits that can cause unsightly discoloration or stains on your upper and lower teeth. This can be improved or even completely eliminated with advances in whitening techniques and technology. Teeth Whitening has become a popular and cost-effective way to dramatically improve the appearance of your smile in a short period of time.

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  5. A teeth whitening process is one of the most common ways that people choose to cosmetically enhance their smile.

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  6. Everything that's too much has cons and everyone has to learn from that. Thank you for sharing this. My austin cosmetic dentistry clinic appreciates the things you've shared here.

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  7. Fact!!! Thanks for sharing complete point…one more company has articles about Teeth whitening Teeth whitening.

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  8. Great stuff! Dr. Joseph Fairbloom - Brampton ON offers various treatments and solutions and can help you to get rid of stained teeth.

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  9. Teeth Whitening is like magic, in my case it gave me back my self confidence. Thanks to my dentist in Ottawa.

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