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Brighten Your Smile
Taking this advice can lead to a brighter and
healthier smile
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Do you regularly enjoy tobacco,
coffee, tea, red wine, and/or soft drinks?
Tobacco, coffee, tea, red wine, colas, and orange
soda all contain dark compounds that can be absorbed
by the enamel on teeth over time. You can have your
teeth whitened if you use these products. But the
stains may return within a month or so. Consider
cutting back your consumption, or quitting. Also,
brush your teeth after drinking these beverages or
smoking.
Do you eat a lot of dark fruit (eg.
blueberries and purple grapes), light fruit (eg.
melons and peaches), chocolate, and/or cheese?
Blueberries, chocolate, and other dark and acidic
foods can superficially discolor your teeth. In
fact, anything that can stain your carpet can
discolor your teeth. Brushing after each meal can
help prevent these stains.
Melons, peaches, and summer fruit high in water
content are less likely to cause cavities and can
help prevent stains. Cavities discolor teeth and
give teeth a grayish tinge.
Cheeses and low-acidic foods also help reduce your
risk of cavities. Still, be sure to brush after
eating.
Are the stains on your teeth
yellowish, brownish, and/or grayish/purplish?
Yellowish stains are the most common because teeth
yellow naturally with age. Yellowish teeth are also
the easiest to whiten with common peroxide-based
whitening gels or strips available in drugstores.
Toothpastes with whitening agents may also help
lighten yellowish teeth.
Brownish teeth are more difficult to whiten than
yellowish teeth, depending on the severity of your
stains. Ask your dentist if your teeth would respond
to strips and gels from the drugstore, or whether
you need a more concentrated solution available only
at the dentist's office.
Grayish or purplish teeth are the most difficult to
whiten with bleaching gels and strips. Drugs such as
tetracycline can cause this hue. Also, some people
have naturally grayish/purplish teeth. If this color
describes your teeth, ask your dentist about
laser-assisted whitening techniques or about
veneers, which are tooth-colored shells that cover
the enamel surface of your teeth.
Have you considered any of the
following: whitening toothpastes, over-the-counter
gels or strips, professional bleaching, veneers?
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Whitening toothpastes ($3 - $5) usually contain mild
chemicals -- not bleach -- to help polish teeth and
remove superficial stains from food or drink. At
best, they can lighten your teeth one shade. Look
for the American Dental Association's (ADA) Seal of
Acceptance on any whitening toothpaste you buy.
Over-the-counter strips or gels ($10 to $55) use
peroxide-based solutions to lighten teeth. Typically
they contain 10% to 22% carbamide peroxide or 3% to
6% hydrogen peroxide and are used twice a day for
about 14 days. They can lighten teeth a few shades.
The results can last several months, or a year, or
longer, depending on the condition of your teeth and
your habits.
Professional bleaching ($250 to $800) at the
dentist's office uses a higher concentration of
peroxide. You have several options at the dentist's
office. Your dentist may make a mouthpiece that fits
your teeth and send you home with a concentrated
gel. You then wear the mouthpiece filled with
whitening gel at night, bathing your teeth in the
bleach. Or your dentist may apply the solution in
the office and speed the whitening process by using
lasers, light, or heat. These procedures can be done
in one office visit several hours long, or over
several shorter office visits. Professional
bleaching can lighten some teeth by three to eight
shades, and the results can last one to five years.
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Veneers ($500 to $1,300 per tooth) are wafer-thin
shells of porcelain or composite resin that are
bonded to the front of your teeth. They effectively
cover discolored or uneven teeth. They are stain
resistant, and they last five to 10 years. If they
do crack or chip, however, they cannot be fixed;
they must be replaced.
Do you have fillings, crowns,
bridges, bonding, or dentures?
Fillings, crowns, bridges, bonding, and dentures do
not lighten with bleaching. If you have a lot of
dental work, you may end up with an uneven smile
after teeth whitening.
Dental work in the front of your mouth interferes
with teeth whitening the most. Ask your dentist
about the cost of replacing any prominent dental
work. Dental work in the back of your mouth is not
as noticeable and shouldn't result in an uneven
smile after teeth whitening.
Are you pregnant or breastfeeding,
have sensitive or receding gums, or allergic to
peroxide?
Pregnant or breastfeeding women should wait before
having their teeth whitened, advises the American
Dental Association. There is little research on the
effects that bleaching products may have on pregnant
or breastfeeding women.
People with sensitive or receding gums should
consult their dentist before whitening their teeth.
Whitening agents such as peroxide normally cause
some temporary discomfort in the mouth. If you have
gum disease, exposed roots, or other oral problems,
the peroxide may cause greater sensitivity.
People who are allergic to peroxide should not have
their teeth whitened. Most gels, strips, and
tray-based solutions contain peroxide. The
concentrations vary, with lower levels of peroxide
in products sold at the drugstore and high levels in
solutions used at the dentist's office.
Do you currently use an electric
toothbrush and/or whitening toothpaste?
Electric toothbrushes with the American Dental
Association (ADA) seal of approval are often more
effective than standard toothbrushes. With all
brushes, buy ones with soft bristles. Soft bristles
are more flexible, thus better at sliding under gum
tissue to remove plaque. Hard bristles can damage
your gums.
Whitening toothpastes with federal seal of approval
have been shown in some studies to slightly lighten
teeth. Toothpaste with fluoride also helps prevent
cavities, which can discolor teeth. Toothpaste with
any gentle abrasive such as baking soda can remove
surface stains immediately after eating, but this is
not as effective at preventing cavities or whitening
teeth.
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Source - WebMD Inc. All rights reserved. |
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