Teeth Whitening & Oral Health Blog

Almost all teeth whiteners use some form of peroxide to help promote a bleaching process. It is not at all surprising to pull an over-the-counter whitening toothpaste or tooth whitener off of a grocery store shelf and find peroxide in the ingredients. This is used due to its anesthetic qualities as well as it bleaching abilities. There are different forms of peroxide that are available but the most commonly used peroxide in cosmetic dentistry is Carbamide peroxide or urea peroxide.

Carbamide peroxide is an oxidizing agent that contains both hydrogen peroxide and urea. Many dentists use this with lasers to promote bleaching of your teeth. The hydrogen peroxide oxidizes stains on the tooth enamel. Many people use hydrogen peroxide to help whiten their teeth for several reasons:

• It promotes a healthier mouth
• No harmful acids or abrasives
• Ease in use
• Inexpensive

Hydrogen peroxide is used in a number of mouth and teeth rinses and pastes. In fact before many of the teethe whitening concoctions were developed, people used hydrogen peroxide and baking soda to brush their teeth. Both are excellent whiteners and a little table salt adds an extra exfoliant to the process. However since manufacturers have been producing teeth whiteners, there have been some rather remarkable results that have been obtained from using hydrogen peroxide as a whitener.

One particularly impressive tooth whitener that uses Carbamide peroxide is called Nite White ACP. This is a tooth desensitizer that uses a patented Amorphous Calcium Phosphate chemistry to bond with your tooth’s surface to fill any microscopic defect. This makes your teeth smoother and gives them luster. In addition to filling the microscopic defects in your teeth that make them so sensitive, most users have less fading of the white after six months of use of Nite White ACP. It comes in a three syringe pack that is good for 9-12 dual arch whitening sessions. It is used in an arch tray system and it is mixed by the syringe as it is placed in the trays.

Day White ACP is used just like the Nite White ACP but is designed to be used for less time. Where the Nite White ACP is only a 16% or 22% solution used for either 1 hour a day or overnight depending on which product, the Day White ACP is a 38% solution that is used for a period of only 15 minutes. It also comes in a three syringe pack that is enough for twelve dual arch trays and mixed by the syringe. These two whiteners are great for sensitive teeth because it helps fill in the small defects that make teeth sensitive while it whitens.

There are a large number of whiteners to choose from and many people must play a trial and error game before they find the whitener that works for their teeth. Since most people have different shades of white naturally on their teeth, it may take several uses before any difference is noticed. One should not judge a whitener by the effects of one application. You should use it a few times before switching to another whitener.

When it comes to teeth, everyone want the whitest teeth they can possibly obtain. Sometimes this means visiting a dentist to get laser whitening while others would rather perform this task at home. There are a great number of different whitening products available and some simple natural ways to whiten your teeth that we will examine.

Some of the whitening products that are available for home use are:

• Boil and bite trays
• Whitening strips
• Pre-filled trays
• Tray systems
• Whitening pens
• Ionic light systems
• Toothpastes
• Mouth rinses

From all of these choices the most popular products are whitening strips, pre-filled trays, toothpastes and mouth rinses.

Although each of these methods provide basically the same results although some are actually better than others. No two people’s results will be the same and most neglect to consider this fact. These methods are designed to whiten your teeth gradually which means it may be a week or longer before you notice the effects and some will see results sooner. This is due to the difference in each person’s genetics. Some people simply have less white teeth than others meaning they naturally have a darker color to their teeth. For these people these types of whiteners do not offer the same results as they do for those who have naturally whiter teeth.

Many of the tray systems such as the boil and bite trays, pre-filled trays and tray systems offer some hope for those who have naturally darker teeth. Some of the tray systems also provide a remineralization for the teeth that helps fill in microscopic defects in the teeth. These defects can capture tiny particles of food and bacteria that can make teeth darker as well. Some provide a desensitizing agent that prevents your teeth from being too sensitive to hot and cold foods as well as cold air. A number of these are appropriate to be used over night to help whiten your teeth while you sleep.

Although these methods are available for purchase at most supermarkets as well as online, many people would rather use their own home method of whitening their teeth. Before manufacturers began making home whiteners and whitening toothpastes, people were forced to invent their own methods of whitening teeth. The best known home concoction is a thin mixture of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to brush your teeth with. One way of flavoring this is to add a drop of cinnamon oil to the peroxide. You can of course use other flavorings that do not contain dyes. Brushing your teeth with this three or four times per week will help you whiten your teeth and keep them white in between dentist visits. Other natural ways of whitening teeth is by refraining from eating foods with dyes in them, acids and sugars. Apples are nature’s natural cleaner so by eating plenty of apples will help clean your teeth as well as whiten them. Good oral health is also important for white and healthy teeth.