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PLASTIC SURGERY NEWS, SURGERY NEWS, COSMETIC SURGERY NEWS Current NEWS  |
How to Lighten Up (Your Teeth)
At Hollywood award shows, the stars' smiles reveal teeth so bright they could nearly blind an audience member. And thanks to today's better and less expensive tooth whitening techniques, you too can have a dazzling smile.
An array of products and choices are available to today's smile-conscious consumers: from toothpastes and whitening strips to teeth trays you wear at home and professional whitening that is done in the dentist's office. So how can you figure out which method will make your grin glow?
Why Your Teeth Aren't Pearly White
The first item of business for you and your dentist is to uncover why your teeth are discolored, because not everyone is a candidate for tooth whitening techniques.
"Before beginning the process of tooth whitening, it's important for people to talk to their dentist to make sure they are in a healthy situation," says Matthew Messina, DDS, a consumer advisor for the American Dental Association (ADA) and a practicing dentist in Cleveland, Ohio.
Whitening is not a good solution for people with untreated tooth decay or gum disease. Not only are whitening agents ineffective in people with certain internal problems, but they can also cause over-sensitivity in teeth. So a dentist will need to work on improving the health of the teeth and gums before they can turn to purely cosmetic matters.
Others who might need an alternative solution are those with teeth darkened by antibiotics taken as a child, trauma or people who have had bonding or tooth-colored fillings in their front teeth. While whitening might make these teeth a little lighter, it might not provide the even results you want. What generally works better for these cases is a porcelain veneer that covers the affected teeth.
For most people, however, the passage of time and particularly the consumption of colored foods, red wine, coffee, tea and cigarettes, is responsible for the discoloration. White-teeth seekers in this group are considered good candidates for whitening techniques. Yellowish teeth are thought to bleach the best, followed by brownish-colored teeth and then grayish teeth.
According to the ADA, people should not experience tooth enamel damage or side effects beyond temporary tooth sensitivity and gum irritation. Some researchers have raised concerns about links to oral cancer because of the peroxide in the bleaching solutions, but no link has been established.
"In patients who have been in controlled, clinical trials for up to 10 to 12 years post-treatment with [dentist-prescribed night-guard bleaching] we didn't see any differences in the gums beyond what we would see in a normal situation," says Ralph Leonard, DDS, a clinical associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry. "Nor have we seen any increase in fractures, tooth decay or in root canals. We think it is as safe as anything we do in dentistry."
What Are Your Options?
When choosing how you're going to whiten your teeth, you'll need to consider your goals, the expense and your level of commitment.
"Tooth whitening products run on a continuum from the simple to the involved," Dr. Messina says. At the low end, are whitening toothpastes, which contain mild abrasive agents that help remove surface stains. According to Dr. Messina, toothpastes are better at maintaining brightness after a whitening procedure than they are at actually lightening the teeth in the first place.
The next step up is whitening strips, which contain hydrogen peroxide. To use the strips, you apply the somewhat goopy, gel-coated strips to the top of your teeth and leave them on for about a half hour. According to Crest Whitestrips manufacturer Procter & Gamble, after using their strips for two weeks, you'll have whiter teeth for a year and use of the premium version of the strips provides results in three days. A box of Crest Whitestrips Premium is about $35.
If you want to see more of a difference between your "before" and "after" smiles and you're willing to invest some time and effort, you might consider at-home bleaching systems. These systems can be purchased over-the-counter or through your dentist. The bleaching systems usually contain 10 percent carbamide peroxide, which is equal to about 3 percent hydrogen peroxide. If you use a bleaching system from your dentist, he or she will make models of your teeth and then create thin trays that look like little mouth guards. While usage varies, you generally place gel in the trays and wear them for an hour or two a night for about two weeks. Over-the-counter systems will provide bleach and trays, but the trays may cause irritation since they are not tailored to your teeth. The customized bleaching systems a dentist provides usually cost between $200 and $400.
In-office bleaching can make your teeth about nine times whiter in about an hour. Dentists use a protective gel that coats your gum tissue and then apply a solution that contains between 15 percent and 35 percent hydrogen peroxide. A light is directed at your teeth to activate the gel. After the session, you're asked to avoid colored foods and beverages for about 48 hours. These procedures range in cost from $500 to $1000. Some dentists also offer a combination of in-office and at-home methods.
No matter what whitening method you use, your teeth will gradually assume their old shade over time, regressing, Dr. Messina estimates, by about half a shade every six months. Someone who had an in-office procedure might opt to use the trays as maintenance, while others might try the strips or toothpastes. If you are doing follow-up maintenance, however, you should check in with your dentist on a regular basis. Of course, ideally you'll see your dentist every six months for a cleaning anyhow.
"One of the nice side effects is that if you're proud of your smile, if you're investing in the care of your smile, then you're more likely to brush and floss and see the dentist regularly," Dr. Messina says.
"Tooth whitening is a fairly simple procedure that can produce a lot of beneficial effects," he continues. "If we improve someone's self confidence, then they look better because they hold their head up high and smile."
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Healthology/story?id=513775
