Forest Smiles – The Best Dentist in Lynchburg, VA
Everybody wants to have the whitest teeth, and there are a good amount of dental whitening products that can make it a tough decision. If your teeth are stained or discolored and you are considering a bleaching agent oral whitening gel, then you are most likely wondering what one is the best for you.
What product should I Use?
If you are someone who drinks coffee or tea regularly then some staining of the teeth is expected, no matter how much meticulous you are about using dental care products as part of a tooth care routine. Other aspects that can cause tooth staining are smoking, certain diseases, and even genetics.
When you apply a dental whitening product to your teeth, it will cause them to appear whiter.
Teeth stains can affect the deep parts of the enamel or extrinsic, which is an artificial staining of the tooth surface. These dental whitening products may:
Contain a bleaching product that a bleaching product uses peroxide to penetrate the tooth enamel and remove deep intrinsic stains, or
A non-bleaching productthat uses a chemical reaction in order to remove any type of superficial extrinsic stains on the surface of the enamel.
These products may be given to you and applied by your dentist, or they are available over-the-counter. Even though the process of application may differ, altogether these whitening products involve the use of hydrogen peroxide.
Is it toxic?
Actually, hydrogen peroxide isn’t much more than water with an extra oxygen atom. Water molecules contain two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen, hence the term H2O. Hydrogen peroxide is H2O2. Because oxygen is a highly corrosive substance, H2O2 acts as a weak acid which is why it works great in tooth whitening gels and other whitening products.
In small amounts, hydrogen peroxide is a harmless antiseptic. Drinking it like it is water is not a good idea but if it is used to whiten teeth it is not likely to cause any serious problems.
Your dentist can suggest certain whitening products as well as non-toxic toothpaste that will help clean your teeth while helping them to look white. A little research and patience will help you learn which product is right for you.