We are talking about teeth today, people. Oddly specific to the United States is the fashion goal of having super white teeth. I will point out that in other cultures historically such as Japan, the act of dyeing one’s teeth black was all the rage. Check out Ohaguro. As always fads come and go.
As we all know, daily food especially coffee and teas can stain teeth over time and give them a more yellow appearance. Basically, small bits of pigment get caught in the porous structure of our teeth. A similar process happens in your coffee cup at home. Surface stains are mostly found in the enamel, which is the shiny, hard outside part of the tooth, and can be brushed away with daily brushing. Deeper stains within the dentin, the layer underneath the enamel, will need another method to remove the pigmentation.
Originally I was under the impression that teeth whitening was damaging to teeth. Looking through the research basically showed that teeth whiteners are more or less safe for teeth, do not damage dental work, and do not lead to an increase in root canals. As always, you don’t have to believe me: believe science. You can read the nitty gritty for yourself at the end of this post.
How it works
Dental whitening basically works by oxidizing. Oxygen reacts with the pigmented chemicals known as a chromophores that are in the teeth, turning the pigments to a clear or white product. This is the same way that bleach works to get pigments out of clothes. Basically all teeth whiteners are some sort of oxidizing agent.
Office procedures:
I have had the in-office treatment once before mostly because it was free. I have to say they do work very well, like my teeth were robot white, but for me my teeth become very, very sensitive, like lightning in my teeth burning into my brain; and I had gotten a pretty bad burn on my gums. Likely this was just one bad experience but my home routine had always been giving the results that I wanted at a minimal price. If you are looking for a fast way to white teeth this may be the option for you.
Whitening toothpaste:
Usually these toothpastes have baking soda. Baking soda is a gentle abrasive that is good at getting out surface stains the enamel but are not able to reach to the deeps dentin layers. These toothpastes also have low level hydrogen peroxide that can help with surface and deeper stains. I personally use this daily. I have a reference below that shows that these used daily are good for whitening maintenance but are not likely to give you a stunning dramatic change.
Whitening mouthwash:
Again these products have hydrogen peroxide in them. These get very foamy in the mouth, which maybe unpleasant for some, but it gives the mouth a good deep clean. I love things that get two birds with one stone. While these do work, they do not work as well as the strips or home kits but for me I can get a noticeable difference.
Crest white strips:
When people ask how I get my teeth so white this is what I use, and it totally works. I have been using it for years, and I get compliments all the time. They now have several options on products but I typically use the Crest 3D Professional Effects. The directions say to use 1 hour daily for 10 days, doing one set every day but for me this made my teeth a bit sensitive. I now use an alternate approach and will basically do them 1-2 times a month. This does mean that it takes me about half a year to get through a box but I never get any sensitivity and I still have great results. Granted, it is not as dramatic a change as when you use the kit as directed.
They also have other versions that are for 30 mins at a time that are a little more gentle as well. But like I said, with spacing the treatments out I have not really needed anything more gentle. However I know people that have used the more gentle versions and have been very happy.
Cost is usually around $29-60 depending on the version and if there is a sale, but this lasts me 6 months so really I would call that minimal cost. The products are easily found at department stores, pharmacies, and online. Packaging is pretty but a little bulky for storage as it is mostly air. Usually I just toss the box. The strips themselves are individually wrapped which is nice and out of the box they take up minimal room in my medicine cabinet.
Recap:
- Teeth whitening is safe. Surprise!
- Office procedures work well… but so do the home options and at less cost!
- Whitening Strips work best, but whitening mouthwash and whitening toothpaste make a good maintenance
Extra reading:
Color recovery effect of different bleaching systems on a discolored composite resin.
In Vitro Evaluation of the Efficacy of Different Over-the-Counter Products on Tooth Whitening.
Efficacy of Mouthwashes Containing Hydrogen Peroxide on Tooth Whitening.
The effect of three whitening oral rinses on enamel micro-hardness.
Effect of 10% and 15% carbamide peroxide on fracture toughness of human dentin in situ.
Effect of various tooth-whitening products on enamel microhardness.