Foods that darken your smile

We're all born with naturally white smiles. Unfortunately, over time these white smiles fade. Making matters worse, the foods we eat attack our white smiles. After brushing, our teeth quickly become covered with a clear colorless layer of protein known as the pellicle. Food stains stick to this protein pellicle, blotching our white smiles.
Especially damaging are:

What is tooth whitening?

Tooth whitening can be a highly effective way of lightening the natural colour of your teeth without removing any of the tooth surface. It cannot make a complete colour change; but it will lighten the existing shade.

Tooth whitening a very safe, inexpensive, and effective cosmetic treatment. Unlike whitening toothpastes that remove stains to reveal the underlying whiteness of teeth, bleaching agents actual make teeth whiter.

Typically bleaching can last 2-3 years depending on whether or not you smoke, consume acid containing foods, or consume staining foods like red wines and coffee.

There are 3 major bleaching methods:

It is important to know that not all bleaching methods are created equal, providing varied results. In the next paragraphs we'll discuss the various bleaching options and the pros and cons of each.

Hazards of over the counter

Over The Counter bleaching systems are take home kits which you can buy at the local store, order by mail-order, or buy off the internet. Usually they are relatively inexpensive costing.

A bleaching agent is applied to a mouth tray and the tray is then inserted into the mouth for 1-4 hours. Treatment lasts between 2-4 weeks. We personally do not recommend these kits for two reasons:

First, many of these kits contain a standard mouth tray. Because the trays are standard (made to fit everyone), they tend not to fit snugly. Consequently, you may be ingesting bleaching agent. In addition, trays which are not custom made allow bleach to seep onto and irritate gum tissue.

Second, dentists do not check your teeth and gums when you use these systems to determine if the bleaching process is proceeding safely and to ensure that you are not injuring your teeth.

Dentist Supervised Home Kits

Dentist supervised home systems are generally safer and more effective than over-the-counter kits. With these systems the dentist takes an accurate impression of your teeth. This is then used to create custom mouth trays which snugly fit your teeth therefore resulting in less agent being swallowed.The patient takes the trays and bleaching agent home. Each night for a few weeks the patient places bleaching agent on the trays and places the trays in his or her mouth. A brief visit to the dentist ensures that you are doing the home treatments correctly and allows the dentist to inspect your gums for irritation.

Dental in chair whitening procedure

There is now laser whitening or ‘power whitening’. During this procedure a rubber dam is put over your teeth to protect the gums, and a bleaching product is painted onto your teeth. Then a light or laser is shone on the teeth to activate the chemical. The light speeds up the chemical reaction of the whitening product and the colour change can be achieved more quickly using this procedure.

When might tooth whitening not work?

Tooth whitening can only lighten your existing tooth colour. Also it only works on natural teeth. It will not work on any types of ‘false’ teeth such as dentures, crowns and veneers.

If your dentures are stained or discoloured visit your dentist and ask for them to be cleaned. Stained veneers, crowns or dentures may need replacing; again ask your dentist.

What are the side effects?

Some people may find that their teeth become sensitive to cold during or after the treatment. Others report discomfort in the gums, a sore throat or white patches on the gum line. These symptoms are usually temporary and should disappear within a few days of the treatment finishing.

If any of these side effects continue you should go to your dentist.

How whitening toothpastes work?

Many whitening toothpastes use harsh abrasives to remove stains. This wears the white enamel outside layer of teeth away, revealing more of the underlying dentine layer. Dentine is yellow in colour. In other words, overuse of these abrasive toothpastes will make teeth look more yellow, not whiter.