A bright white smile has long become a status symbol in our modern society, it stands for youthfulness, health, attractiveness. But the ravages of time leave their mark on our dentition, usually in the form of yellowish discoloration or brownish stains. Teeth age, bear the signs of our diet or other influences, lose their white color, become dull and dull. Professional whitening can provide a remedy.
Why our teeth turn dark
Our teeth are exposed to great stress every day. They have to grind our food, withstand the high chewing pressure of the jaw, cope with our bad eating habits. It is usually at this point that the appearance suffers first – most foods contain a whole range of colorants that gradually deposit on the tooth and discolor it. Foods such as coffee, black tea and iced tea have a particularly strong staining effect. However, many fruits also contain staining substances, such as blueberries or blackberries. The same applies to various spices, especially curry leaves yellowish traces on the teeth. The colorants can gradually deposit on the tooth and cover it with a film or penetrate the tooth itself through the finest cracks in the enamel and make it appear darker. Nicotine also has a visually devastating effect. Smokers not only have more yellowish teeth overall, but often also blackish-brown deposits in the interdental spaces or at the back of the teeth due to cigarette smoke. However, food or stimulants are not always the main cause of tooth discoloration. Mouthwash also leaves traces on the teeth, and ingredients such as stannous fluoride or chlorhexidine are often responsible for dark brown to black margins or stains on the teeth. In addition, various medications make their contribution to the appearance of the teeth – and often have a negative influence on it. In particular, antibiotics from the tetracycline group cause yellowish to grayish discoloration.
Professional teeth cleaning or teeth whitening?
Depending on the type and intensity of discoloration, bleaching can provide relief, but sometimes professional teeth cleaning in the dental office is sufficient. The procedures here are fundamentally different. Bleaching is a so-called oxidation bleaching, either various chlorine compounds or hydrogen peroxide are used. During the bleaching process itself, oxygen is released, which destroys the colorants stored in the tooth during the oxidation process. The teeth are then brighter. However, this form of whitening is time-limited – with good care, the effect lasts about two to three years. Professional teeth cleaning is different: Here, no chemical reactions are used, but exclusively manual forces. With the help of a sand jet and special polishing equipment, the teeth are cleaned of tartar, plaque and discoloration of a superficial nature and then polished. Unlike bleaching, professional teeth cleaning does not achieve a purely cosmetic effect, but also serves as medical prophylaxis – removing plaque from hard-to-reach areas not only protects the patient from carious defects, but also protects the gums from inflammation. In order to decide whether professional tooth cleaning is sufficient or whether bleaching is better, the type of discoloration must first be determined. In dentistry, a distinction is made between internal and external discoloration. Internal discoloration of the tooth can be caused, for example, by taking certain medications in childhood, but also by accidents with dental trauma or even the finest enamel cracks, through which dyes can penetrate into the interior of the tooth. This type of discoloration can only be treated by bleaching. The highly concentrated bleaching agents used here can lighten the tooth even in deeper layers and thus contribute to an optical improvement. With external discolorations, the intensity plays a major role. If the discolorations are of a superficial nature and are caused by the consumption of strongly staining foods or a temporarily careless brushing technique, they can be removed without any problems in the course of a professional dental cleaning.However, if the teeth have been exposed to intensively staining substances over a very long period of time without removing them in time, tooth cleaning itself is futile in this case. In this case, only bleaching can lead to the whitening of the discolored areas.
Methods of teeth whitening
Bleaching can be performed in many ways – at home (home bleaching) or in the dental office (office bleaching). In both variants, the teeth must be thoroughly cleaned beforehand so that no stains can occur during bleaching. If there are already fillings in the teeth, they can be adjusted in color before or after bleaching, especially in the front area. Nowadays, when bleaching is performed in the dentist’s office, the patient usually only has to plan for one longer session. In this session, the dentist applies a highly concentrated whitening agent to the teeth and activates it with UV light or a soft laser. This produces oxygen, which breaks up the color molecules on the tooth surface in a chemical reaction. Another established bleaching method is home bleaching. Although it is instructed by the dentist, it is carried out by the patient himself at home. After instruction by the dentist and the preparation of a custom-fit tray system, the patient receives all the necessary materials. At home, the patient has to fill the splints with bleaching gel every day and wear them on the upper and lower jaw for a certain period of time. As a rule, this bleaching method is used for about two to three weeks. Many patients also wonder whether root canal-treated, i.e. “dead”, teeth can also be bleached. This is because root canal treatment quickly causes bleeding in the teeth, which often results in a grayish color. Root canal treated teeth can only be bleached within the scope of office bleaching. For this purpose, the dentist opens the respective tooth and now introduces the bleaching gel, so the tooth is bleached from the inside, so to speak.
Side effects you should pay attention to
Like most cosmetic treatments, bleaching also involves certain risks. During the treatment, gum irritation can occur, especially with home bleaching, as the patient here cannot protect the gums as optimally as is possible in the dental office. One of the most common side effects is hypersensitivity of the teeth and necks of the teeth following the treatment; this usually subsides after a few hours to days. If the bleaching gel is used improperly or very frequently, structural changes can occur on the enamel surface in the form of demineralization. These are so-called “white spots”, chalky white spots, but they can disappear over time. In order not to put too much strain on the teeth, bleaching products should therefore not be used more than once a year. A new study by Ohio State University also claims to have found that after regular use of certain bleaching gels, tooth enamel can lose hardness and thus become more brittle and susceptible to caries. Bleaching should therefore always be carried out under medical supervision. It is particularly important to have your dentist thoroughly check your teeth for caries, enamel cracks or leaking fillings before using a bleaching product for the first time. If there is an undetected, deep caries in a tooth, the bleaching agent can get into it and severely damage the nerve. This usually leads not only to unbearable pain, but can also, in the worst case, result in the loss of the tooth.
Of course methods to prevent discoloration of teeth.
Some potential tooth discoloration is usually hard to avoid in everyday life and with a balanced diet. Nevertheless, everyone can do a lot for the bright white of their teeth. First and foremost, of course, is regular and thorough brushing, ideally after every meal or every strongly staining drink such as coffee or red wine. To protect the spaces between the teeth from discoloration, dental floss should be used at least once a day. For food-related deposits on the teeth, professional dental cleaning by the dentist is also recommended once or twice a year.