Introduction
White teeth, who does not wish for them, because the expression of a face is mainly determined by the eyes and the teeth. When speaking and laughing, the teeth become visible. If they are dark, it is not a beautiful sight.
But you can do something about it. The method is called bleaching or English bleaching. However, professional bleaching has no therapeutic or prophylactic benefit, but is desired by the patient for aesthetic reasons alone. Therefore it is not paid for by the public health insurance companies, but is considered a private treatment.
Tooth discoloration
There are two types of tooth discoloration. Teeth that are colored in themselves like pulpentote teeth, i.e. teeth where the pulp has been removed or teeth that become darker with age, which is a normal process. Some people also want their teeth, which are naturally yellowish or have a touch of gray, to be lightened because they seem too dark.
The second form of tooth discoloration is the result of staining deposits on the surface of the teeth. This can be the result of drinking tea, coffee, red wine or tar residues in smokers. Cigar and pipe smokers are particularly affected. Certain drugs also cause discoloration of the tooth surface. These are for example the antiseptic chlorhexidine digluconate or some antibiotics.
How do you get white teeth?
Outward appearances are becoming increasingly important in today’s society. For this reason, many people wonder how exactly they can get white teeth. Since the cause for the development of yellow or greyish discoloured teeth is mostly based on wrong life habits, even the change of these habits can help to get white teeth.
Besides genetic predisposition, regular consumption of tobacco products and coloring foods such as black tea, coffee or red wine play a decisive role in the development of external tooth discoloration. Persons who show severe discoloration of the tooth surface should therefore reduce or completely stop the consumption of nicotine and/or coloring foods. The best results are usually achieved by professional tooth cleaning and subsequent bleaching in the dental office.
This uses professional products and techniques to reliably remove the discoloration and ensure white teeth. However, professional teeth whitening at the dentist is usually expensive. Professionally applied, bleaching does not pose a health hazard to the patient.
You can find more about bleaching under: White teeth through bleachíng Nevertheless, many of those affected wonder how to get white teeth in a cost-effective and gentle way. Even with simple home remedies, it should be possible to lighten the tooth color by several shades and thus give the teeth a healthier appearance. Although many of these home remedies can actually help to free the teeth from slight discoloration, it is important to remember that home remedies can cause extreme damage to the tooth surface.
Some of the most popular home remedies for white teeth include lemon, strawberry juice and commercial baking powder. Another way to get whiter teeth is to use so-called “whitening toothpastes”. However, these toothpastes cannot really whiten the tooth surface.
Instead, the abrasive particles contained in these toothpastes ensure that dirt particles are removed and the natural tooth color is restored. However, these abrasive particles also wear away parts of the enamel and thus damage the tooth structure. Therefore, caution is required with frequent use.
Bleaching at the dentist describes the process of whitening the teeth with substances such as hydrogen peroxide. The teeth can be lightened by 2 to 8 shades according to your wishes and needs. In general, bleaching works similar to hair bleaching at the hairdresser.
Depending on the reason for bleaching, different techniques can be used. A distinction is made between the so-called walking bleaching technique, home bleaching and office bleaching. The first technique is used for root canal treated teeth.
The dentist applies the bleaching agent into the already opened tooth. It takes a few days until the desired result is achieved. Temporarily the tooth is closed provisionally.Home bleaching is performed by means of a custom-made splint filled with bleaching agent, which the patient can wear at home for several applications.
The latter technique is performed in the dental office. In general, one should refrain from using the bleaching sets available in the drugstore. The risk of tooth and soft tissue damage is very high.
Hydrogen peroxide is one of the best known agents for whitening teeth and removing discoloration. In application, the hydrogen peroxide is mixed in equal parts with lukewarm water and used as a daily mouthwash. It is very important not to swallow the rinse under any circumstances.
It can cause vomiting and burns. In the dental office hydrogen peroxide is mostly used as a bleaching agent for professional bleaching. However, this is usually very highly concentrated. For this reason, special protective measures are taken for the gums to avoid consequential damage. Before using it on its own, a dentist must be consulted to ensure correct and safe application.
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