A snow-white smile – what could be easier. Articles in magazines and the Internet are full of various ways to whiten teeth at home. But are they effective? And most importantly, are they safe? The editorial staff of Woman’s Day turned to Igor Lemberg, a dentist, candidate of medical sciences and an expert at Colgate Total, for help, who helped us sort out the questions about the perfect smile.
One of the popular home bleaching methods is chemical. However, you still have to visit the dentist. He will make you an individual mouthguard, on which you then independently apply a special gel.
The mouthguard should be worn several times a day or while sleeping. Chemical whitening, despite its name, is absolutely harmless to the body, since for home use it will contain a minimum concentration of the whitening chemical.
By the way, it is also carried out in the dental chair. The procedure is the same, only the gel used has a higher concentration.
Next on the list are whitening strips. They will help you brighten your teeth a little. The only thing is that after their application, teeth sensitivity may appear.
Before using, it is better to consult a dentist regarding the indications for using this type of whitening or any other, taking into account your individual characteristics of oral health.
Not only for whiteness, but also for dental health, toothpaste is also good.
When used regularly, whitening toothpastes can effectively deal with surface staining. They also help keep your whitened teeth in top condition. When you brush your teeth with whitening toothpaste, you protect your enamel from new stains from coffee, tea, tobacco, or plaque buildup. In addition, whitening toothpastes help teeth retain their appearance longer after whitening. In accordance with the recommendations of the Russian Dental Association, toothpastes, including whitening ones, must contain fluoride to strengthen enamel and protect against caries.
There are two types of whitening pastes: pastes with increased cleaning power or containing chemicals. Pastes with active chemicals contain oxidizing agents: when in contact with the teeth, the pigments become colorless and the teeth become lighter. Toothpastes with increased cleansing ability polish the enamel surface, while removing age spots. In addition, due to polishing, the enamel becomes smoother, and pigments hardly settle on it, thus preventing the appearance of new stains. For regular use, it is better to choose whitening pastes with optimal abrasiveness.
Also, when choosing whitening toothpastes, it is worth choosing toothpastes of complex action, for example, with a unique formula of triclosan / copolymer and fluoride, they immediately protect against 12 major oral problems: caries, plaque, bad breath, bacterial growth, darkening of enamel, formation of dental plaque, bleeding and inflammation of the gums, thinning of the enamel, tooth sensitivity. The whitening toothpaste created on the basis of this formula, in addition to the whitening effect, is one of the most effective preventive measures for the health of teeth and gums.
Assistance in the selection of whitening paste and recommendations on the frequency of its use, depending on your individual characteristics, can only be given by a dentist who will assess the general condition of the oral cavity, enamel and gums to achieve the maximum effect without harm to health.
But most importantly, these are healthy teeth: no whitening will save the aesthetics of a smile if your teeth are affected by caries or you have sore bleeding gums. To reduce the risk of developing oral disease, the most important thing is to follow simple rules of good hygiene:
- Brush your teeth at least twice a day;
- Do not forget about the correct technique of brushing your teeth to avoid abrasion of enamel and dentin, as well as “settling” of the gums;
- To maintain the whitening effect, smoking cessation, adherence to diet (restriction of tea, coffee, red wine, etc.) and periodic repetition of maintenance whitening courses are recommended;
- Toothpastes based on the Triclosan / Copolymer formula provide effective support for the results of peroxide whitening by suppressing the formation of plaque pigment and good polishing ability.
- Visit your dentist regularly for oral examinations, professional cleaning and remineralizing dental therapy;
Adding mouthwash after brushing your teeth helps remove bacteria from hard-to-reach areas, cheeks, and tongue, and keeps breath fresher for longer.