Whitening Techniques

Drinking coffee, sipping wine and smoking are known to wreak havoc on your bright smile with stains. A yellow smile definitely degrades your appearance. With many at-home and professional in-office teeth whitening techniques to brighten your smile, there is no reason to fret. Depending on the severity of your teeth stains, one of these techniques will have you showing off your new bright and healthy smile to the world.

Whitening Toothpaste

• Whitening toothpaste is an inexpensive method to remove surface stains from your teeth. Whitening toothpaste contain mild abrasives like baking soda to gently polish your teeth. Hydrogen peroxide is a common active ingredient used to oxidize stains from your teeth. Brushing with a whitening toothpaste twice daily whitens teeth in two to four weeks. Colgate, Crest, and Rembrant offer whitening toothpastes that are available over-the-counter at grocery and drug stores for use at home. A seal of approval from the American Dental Association indicates that your toothpaste is safe and effective at removing surface stains from teeth.

In-Office Bleaching

• Getting your teeth whitened in the dentist's office is costly, but you will see dramatic results. Bleaching at your dentist's office may require a few visits that will take 30 minutes to an hour. The dentist will protect your gums with a rubber shield or a protective gel. The concentration of peroxide used for in-office procedures is higher than in the products sold over-the-counter. A peroxide-based bleaching agent is applied directly to your teeth for the allotted time to whiten. Lasers can enhance the effect of the bleaching agent.

Whitening Strips

• Whitening strips are purchased over-the-counter and used at home. They are thin strips that are coated with a bleaching agent that is typically peroxide-based. The strips are applied two times a day for two weeks. The results will last up to four months. The concentration of peroxide in whitening strips is much lower than the peroxide-based agents used by a dentist. Whitening strips are less expensive than in-office whitening treatments and produce less dramatic results.

Tray Bleaching

• Tray-based whitening systems are purchased over-the-counter or from your dentist's office. This technique consists of filling a tray, similar to a mouth guard, with a bleaching agent. Carbamide peroxide is the active ingredient commonly used in the bleaching agent. You will place the tray on your upper and lower teeth and wear it for a period of time based on the instructions. Typically, you will wear the trays four hours a day or overnight for up to four weeks or longer. The trays do not shift your teeth but only whiten them for a brighter smile.