Thinking of Whitening Your Teeth? Read This First!
There are a number of things that can affect the colour of one's teeth. The most fundamental influence is genetics - the colour of your teeth is genetically determined. Not all people have the same colour of teeth. Compared to others, you may have lighter or darker teeth, just 'naturally'. If it is the case that you are trying to lighten naturally darker teeth then you may not have much success.
If however you know that your teeth are darker, or 'stained' a darker shade, because of an introduced influence, such as smoking, red wine or coffee, then you stand a very good chance that a whitening process will be successful.
Having an idea of the extent to which your teeth are discoloured or stained is good because you then have an idea of when to stop a whitening procedure - when the colour returns to 'normal', which is your natural colour.
If you have the whitening procedure done by your dentist, he or she will use a colour guide against which he can compare the progress of the whitening procedure.
Whitening usually has to be done over several appointments and the dentist will be able to show you the progress being made by comparing the original shade of your teeth with the whitened shade as the procedure progresses.
We have mentioned some things, such as smoking, red wine or coffee stain that can and will discolour your teeth but there are other influences. For example, it is widely known that antibiotics will discolour teeth. That is why you will see a distinct tooth discolouration in some children, whom we expect don't smoke or drink wine and coffee. You will find that the likely cause has been substantial intake of antibiotics at some stage.
Ageing also results in discolouration of teeth. This has to do with the 'thinning' of the enamel layer of the teeth, allowing more of the darker dentin below the enamel to show through. In such a case the whitening procedure may not be quite as successful as would otherwise be the case in a younger person. This does not mean that a whitening or bleaching process will not work but rather that its effects will not be as pronounced.
The simplest way to ensure that your teeth do not discolour from eating and drinking is to brush your teeth regularly, particularly after every meal. If you do use a bleaching process to get the discolouration off your teeth, then institute a regular brushing routine to ensure that the new colour for your pearly whites is maintained.
Gentle, safe and effective home whitening procedures exist that you can easily do yourself for a fraction of the cost of getting your dentist to do the job. Remember that successful whitening of your teeth takes several applications (dentists appointments!).
If however you know that your teeth are darker, or 'stained' a darker shade, because of an introduced influence, such as smoking, red wine or coffee, then you stand a very good chance that a whitening process will be successful.
Having an idea of the extent to which your teeth are discoloured or stained is good because you then have an idea of when to stop a whitening procedure - when the colour returns to 'normal', which is your natural colour.
If you have the whitening procedure done by your dentist, he or she will use a colour guide against which he can compare the progress of the whitening procedure.
Whitening usually has to be done over several appointments and the dentist will be able to show you the progress being made by comparing the original shade of your teeth with the whitened shade as the procedure progresses.
We have mentioned some things, such as smoking, red wine or coffee stain that can and will discolour your teeth but there are other influences. For example, it is widely known that antibiotics will discolour teeth. That is why you will see a distinct tooth discolouration in some children, whom we expect don't smoke or drink wine and coffee. You will find that the likely cause has been substantial intake of antibiotics at some stage.
Ageing also results in discolouration of teeth. This has to do with the 'thinning' of the enamel layer of the teeth, allowing more of the darker dentin below the enamel to show through. In such a case the whitening procedure may not be quite as successful as would otherwise be the case in a younger person. This does not mean that a whitening or bleaching process will not work but rather that its effects will not be as pronounced.
The simplest way to ensure that your teeth do not discolour from eating and drinking is to brush your teeth regularly, particularly after every meal. If you do use a bleaching process to get the discolouration off your teeth, then institute a regular brushing routine to ensure that the new colour for your pearly whites is maintained.
Gentle, safe and effective home whitening procedures exist that you can easily do yourself for a fraction of the cost of getting your dentist to do the job. Remember that successful whitening of your teeth takes several applications (dentists appointments!).