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Choosing the right teeth whitening treatments for you

Teeth Whitening :: Articles :: Choosing the right teeth whitening treatments for you

Before you decide on a teeth whitener for yourself, you should consider a few things. You should determine whether your teeth are sensitive, whether there is any gum disease present, if your teeth are healthy enough and how you want to whiten them. The results of your answers will enable you to choose the right teeth whitening treatments for you. Some people choose to pay their dentist for whitening treatments while others prefer to whiten them at home due to the convenience as well as the cost. Dentist whitening can cost in excess of $600 dollars and must be repeated periodically to keep them their whitest. Home whitening treatments are more expensive than toothpastes but can be used daily which prevents darkening from occurring.

There are a lot of people who have sensivities to hot and cold foods as well as cold air. This can be painful. If you use a professional grade whitener on sensitive teeth, it can cause even more damage by irritating the gum line around the teeth. There are a few whitening treatments that include a remineralizing product that actually fills in the tiny, microscopic crevasses and pits that occur from normal eating. This helps to desensitize the teeth making eating hot and cold foods easier.

Before beginning any whitening treatments it is recommended that you visit your dentist to make sure there is no gum disease present. Gum disease can sometime allow the teeth to loosen and become abscessed. Using whitening products with gum disease can cause serious problems. The gums can become irritated making the abscess worse and spreading the infection through your body. This would require medical attention in order to correct the problem.

One of the most important things you should discuss with your dentist is whether your teeth are healthy enough to begin whitening treatments. If there are any small decays that may be present between teeth it can cause excruciating pain and possible infection. There are a number of gum diseases that can go undetected by someone who is not familiar with dental diseases. If your dentist determines that your teeth are healthy enough to begin whitening treatments and that there is no gum disease you should determine which method of treatments you would like to try.

Whitening treatments come in a number of different types such as all tray whiteners, plasma lights, strips and pens as well as toothpastes and mouth rinses. The type you choose will determine the cost of your treatments and possible even the effects of the whiteners on your teeth. Some of these whiteners takes longer before you actually see their effects while others are more visible in a short period of time. The ones that take a short period of time have a higher percentage of peroxide in them; this can range between 12% and 44%. Of course 44% is a professional grade of whitener while the lesser is an over-the-counter grade. The strength of your whitening treatments will be determined by the color of your natural teeth.