Teeth Whitening

What You Need To Know About Tooth Whitening

A bright, beautiful smile helps you feel more confident and comfortable in your own skin. Throughout Wisconsin, however, there are many people whose smiles are not as bright as they’d like. What should Wisconsinites do when they want to make a change?

Many people try out whitening. But what’s really the best way to whiten teeth?

Why Teeth Get Stains: A Quick Primer

The outer layer of teeth is made up of enamel, a hard substance made from many minerals. It is the hardest, most highly mineralized part of the human body. It might appear to be very solid, but in fact, tooth enamel is porous. This is part of the reason why teeth get stains.

Over time, ordinary eating and drinking causes stains to accrue on the visible surfaces of teeth. Some stains are eliminated by normal brushing. Others, however, will sink deep into the enamel. Since they are not really on the surface level, it is impossible to simply brush them away.

Without intensive whitening, everyone will have some staining of the teeth. However, there are risk factors – such as smoking and drinking dark-colored beverages like coffee, tea and wine – that can make staining more obvious. These dark stains tend to be more prominent than light ones.

How To Get White Teeth: Two Options

When people are looking for a way to brighten their teeth, they often look to over-the-counter treatments first. Although these can be effective in some situations, they are not right for everyone. Some of the most serious drawbacks include:

  • Most OTC whitening treatments take a very long time to work.
  • The treatments are expensive, and the costs can add up over time.
  • If applied incorrectly, these treatments can cause serious irritation.
  • They are nowhere near as effective as what a dentist can provide.

In general, people who want to see immediate and lasting whitening should consult a dentist. There are many different powerful, professional whitening treatments only a dentist can offer. In under an hour, they can provide beautiful whitening of teeth.

Of course, after your whitening procedure, you’ll still need to brush daily as always. If you can reduce your intake of dark-colored foods and beverages, so much the better. But a dental procedure gets you off to an amazing start instead of waiting months for very mild whitening.

To get started with whitening, contact the experts at Dental Health Associates of Madison.

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