White teeth have become the norm.
Today, it is not enough for your teeth to be clean and healthy, they must also be white so that you can show off your most beautiful smile without any complexes.
There are many ways to get white teeth, with various techniques and products.
How do teeth get stained?
Foods and beverages such as coffee, tea or red wine leave colored particles that penetrate the tooth enamel and give the tooth a yellowish or dark appearance. These yellowish-brownish stains or staining of the teeth cannot be removed with conventional tooth brushing, even with excellent oral hygiene. In addition to food, some medications cause tooth discoloration, especially medications containing iron and nitrates.
Are the products sold to whiten teeth effective?
Special whitening toothpastes:
You can easily find over-the-counter special toothpastes that promise to whiten your teeth. A large part of their effect is that they remove the staining caused by coffee, black tea, nicotine or red wine, for example. However, some universal toothpastes also remove staining perfectly and are in some cases significantly cheaper.
Some toothpastes/creams also contain Blue Covarine dye, which makes the teeth less yellow for a short period of time. However, this does not last long. In addition, it should be noted that many whitening toothpastes have a medium to high abrasive effect. This can harm even healthy teeth and weaken them.
Toothpastes with activated charcoal:
Activated charcoal toothpastes have become popular for some time and they promise to make teeth white. The idea is that charcoal absorbs dirt like a sponge. However, dentists suspect that the abrasive power of charcoal in particular has a detrimental effect on teeth.
Whiten your teeth with "homemade" solutions?
If you look around, you will find many "home" recipes to whiten your teeth: with baking soda, baking powder, hydrogen peroxide or lemon.
These home remedies for teeth whitening are supposed to whiten teeth in a natural way.
Baking soda is one of the best known natural whitening agents for white teeth. But how does baking soda whiten teeth? The sodium hydrogen carbonate it contains is both harmful and effective. It strips the enamel and with it the stain.
However, if baking soda is used repeatedly, the enamel disappears, which is obviously very bad for the teeth. The aggressive side of baking soda can also promote tooth decay. It is therefore not a good solution to whiten your teeth without damaging them.
The same goes for lemon juice and the other home remedies mentioned. Using baking powder, lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide to whiten your teeth is simply bad for your oral health.
The whitening of your teeth must be entrusted to a professional: a dentist.
How does a dentist whiten teeth?
There are several ways to get white teeth with the help of a professional:
- Home whitening:
For at-home whitening, the dentist makes a custom-made plastic splint. Then, he or she pours the whitening gel into the splint and you insert the splint every hour at home, according to the dentist's instructions. The whitening process can take several weeks in total, depending on the effectiveness of the gel.
- In-office whitening:
In-office whitening is faster and less complicated for the patient. Here, the dentist applies a higher dose of the special whitening product directly to the teeth. After the application time, he or she removes it and checks if the whitening is sufficient. If not, the procedure must be repeated. Up to three treatments are often necessary for a permanent and optimal result.
- Power bleaching:
With power whitening, the whitening process is sometimes completed with a high-energy laser or UV light. This creates heat that accelerates the bleaching process. This technique is not yet widely used in dental offices, as there are concerns about the harmful effects on the teeth.
How much does tooth whitening at the dentist cost?
Depending on the method used and the time required, you can expect to pay between 250 and 600 euros for a dental bleaching procedure. Whitening a single tooth is also possible and costs between 70 and 150 euros. Prices can vary considerably from one practice to another. It is recommended to get quotes from several practices to compare rates.
