Brushing and flossing your teeth twice a day is the most important step in your dental hygiene routine. This removes plaque from your tooth surfaces and from between your teeth. And while this can’t make your teeth white, it does a good job at tartar management. If you really want to know how to keep teeth white, the answer lies in professional grade teeth whitening treatments. Here are some of our tips.
Why Do Teeth Discolour?
There are two types of stains that develop on your teeth over time. The first type is intrinsic and occurs inside your tooth, below the dental enamel in the dentin. The dentin starts off white when you are young, and becomes yellow over time. It’s a natural consequence of ageing that is largely inevitable.
The other type of stain is an extrinsic stain, which develops on the surface of your tooth and in response to lifestyle factors. If you drink lots of strong coffee or red wine on a regular basis or if you are a smoker, these habits will leave tell-tale stains on the surface of your teeth.
Why Store-bought Whitening Treatments Don’t Work?
A store-bought whitening treatment that you can purchase from the pharmacy is not strong enough to penetrate your dental enamel to lift extrinsic stains.. There is a chance that it could effective against extrinsic stains but because it is not professional grade, you run the risk of doing damage to your dental enamel.
Whitening kits are not custom made for your teeth, so getting them to fit correctly can be impossible, leaving you with an uneven result, if nothing at all.
Professional Teeth Whitening Gets Results
When you opt for a professional teeth whitening treatment, you will be given a product that has been tried and tested for safe and effective use. It will protect and restore your dental enamel while it whitens. It will help you achieve your whitening goals for your smile so you do not have to feel self-conscious about your smile or any damage done to your teeth.
Your dental professional is also permitted by law to use products containing more than 6% hydrogen peroxide, to achieve a white smile. This means you can look forward to whiter teeth in a shorter time frame without fear of damage to your mouth and teeth. Anything else that you buy will not be strong enough to make a difference to stained or discoloured teeth.
Remember that restorations like dental fillings and veneers will not respond to whitening, and should be discussed in detail with your dentist prior to any teeth whitening treatment is done.
How To Keep Teeth White With Professional Whitening Treatments?
When you opt for a professional whitening treatment your dentist will facilitate the process to help you achieve your desired results. Your dental practitioner must also follow the important process of inspecting your mouth and soft tissues to ensure that you are a candidate for whitening. This means your teeth should be strong and healthy, you should be free of gum disease and you should not have any active decay.
During this consultation, your dentist will remove any traces of dental plaque and tartar, which creates a clean canvas for whitening. This allows you to achieve a smoother, more even result.
You have the choice of in-chair teeth whitening, where your dentist does it for you, and wherein you may have a smile that is six to eight shades lighter in just under an hour.
Your alternative is a take-home teeth whitening kit that has been customised for your personal needs and goals. Your dental practitioner will give you whitening gel that is suited to achieve your goals and you will wear a custom tray for a few hours a day or overnight while you sleep. This method may be more convenient if you are busy and do not mind waiting a little longer to achieve results.
How To Keep Teeth Whiter For Longer?
You can discuss intervals for top up teeth whitening with your dental practitioner when you have your first session. The amount of time that your whitened smile lasts will also depend on what you expose your teeth to after whitening. So if you continue to drink lots of red wine and coffee or continue to smoke, your whitened smile will be visible for as long.
Brushing and flossing twice a day will help to keep plaque and tartar levels manageable. You must visit your dentist every six months for a professional dental clean and inspection. You can discuss and compare the colour of your teeth at these visits, and your dentist can manage it proactively for you.
Why Cheaper Isn’t Always Better?
Home remedies like baking soda, lemon juice and charcoal and even whitening toothpaste are not proven strategies to whiten your teeth. While they may buff away surface stains they can also cause damage to your tooth enamel. The only proven and tested way to get a whiter smile is to invest in professional teeth whitening.
If you still have questions about how to keep teeth white and are interested in professional whitening, it’s time to make an appointment. Please contact us: (03) 9626 9581
