Fix Stained Teeth
If you are someone who enjoys red wine and coffee, you already know how your choices can affect the color of your teeth. Dark pigmented foods and drinks, some medications, accidents, getting older, and family genetics contribute to your teeth getting darker from their original white shade. Depending on the cause of your stained teeth and how much of a color change you are looking to achieve, there are different options you can talk to the dentist about using in the dental office or at home. You can remove your teeth stains effectively and safely.
- Whitening toothpastes: In general, toothpaste is designed to be abrasive to remove plaque and stains, but whitening toothpastes also have polishing agents to add their stain removing power. Some whitening toothpastes even have special chemicals to lighten your teeth a few shades.
- Whitening strips: Peroxide-based strips that you apply to your teeth once or twice a day, depending on the brand, to bleach your stains. They are effective in addressing mild tooth stains and can be purchased over the counter.
- At-home bleaching trays: A plastic tray filled with a peroxide based gel or paste can help you address mild to moderate tooth stains. The bleaching compound is held against the teeth in the tray for a specific amount of time daily for a month. These can be found in weaker over the counter versions and stronger professional treatments from the dentist’s office. The professional treatment tray are custom fit and help the gel to stay in place better than the over the counter version.
- In-office bleaching trays: Instead of buying a treatment tray from the dentist to use at home, these are stronger gels and pastes that you use in the dentist’s office. The bleaching solution can be made more effective with the use of heat, light or both. This technique can lighten teeth three to eight shades. The Zoom!® system is an example of this whitening option.
- Porcelain veneers: If your tooth discoloration is a result of genetics or aging, the other whitening techniques may not produce an effective result. Instead, dentists use porcelain veneers to whitened the teeth with a natural looking result. A thin layer of porcelain or tooth colored resin is bonded to the surface of your teeth with instantaneous results. If your teeth have been stained as a result of tetracycline, fluorosis, or trauma, the dentin in your teeth has darkened will not lighten with other less aggressive whitening approaches.
Natural whitening remedies for your teeth are often ineffective and potentially can cause damage to your teeth in the process. Be sure to take time to talk to the dentist about your stained teeth and the results you are looking to achieve. The dentist will be able to recommend the best product for your case and the safest way to lighted your teeth without damaging them. Using solutions with strawberries, lemon, and baking soda can weaken the surface of your teeth up to 10%. Improving your self-confidence with a whiter smile does not mean you have to risk your dental health.