Here's the Skinny on Teeth Whitening...

Many of us wish we had a little brighter and whiter smile like all those great looking faces we see on the big screen. Well, there are a lot of different options out there from professional treatment to in-home teeth whitening systems. Most all of them follow the same basic technique, that is--making use of some sort of peroxide gel to bleach the teeth.

Professional Treatment
If you have it professionally done the dentist will coat and protect your gums with a paint on rubber dam and then apply a hydrogen peroxide gel. The high concentration of this gel allows the teeth to be whitened in a fairly small amount of time. The procedure will probably last about an hour and the average nationwide cost is about $650. However, I have known many dentists to implement marketing campaigns that offer free teeth-whitening for new patients.

Dentist-Dispensed Take-home Whitening Trays
If you are a do it your selfer dentists highly favor professionally dispensed whitening kits which have a higher concentration of peroxide gel than that which can be obtained over the counter. These kits include custom-fitted application trays which have either been pre-loaded or that are accompanied by syringes with peroxide for loading upon time of use. Kits range from $60-$400.
The most common Professionally dispensed whitening kits recommended by dentists are:

• Discus Dental Nite White and Day White ACP
• Discus Dental Nite White Turbo
• Discus Dental Zoom! Weekender Kit
• Opalescence by Ultradent
• Opalescence Trèswhite Supreme

Over the Counter
The only advantage of the over the counter kits are that they are more inexpensive, ranging from $20 to $100. The concentration is very low and uses a carbamide peroxide which is not as powerful as hydrogen peroxide gel. Also, the trays are one-size-fits-all and the whitening strips often only treat the front teeth.

A few things to consider
Many people do not realize that the color of the teeth after whitening may take up to two weeks to reach its intended result. This is particularly important for those who may be going in to have a crown done. Make sure you have given enough time for the whitening to take full effect beforhand so that the dentist will match the appropriate shade for the crown.

Also if you are pregnant or nursing you should avoid teeth whitening. If you chance to swallow bleach it may have an adverse effect on the fetus or baby.

If you are not getting desired results consider this:
The outer layer from the gum line to the crown of the tooth is made of enamel, which originally has a white luster to it. This enamel is made up of microscopic crystaline rods which are meant to protect the surface of the tooth. However, over time the more yellow dentin from the inner side of the tooth shows through the enamel due to tiny cracks and abrasions which have occurred in this protective surface. These microscopic cracks as well as the gaps between crystalline rods often fill up with stain and debris causing discoloration. This discoloration is removed during the bleaching process returning the enamel to a more desirable white. However if your enamel has worn down too much it becomes more and more transparent and the yellow color of the dentin will show through and be difficult to eliminate.
If you have a yellow color at the base of your teeth due to recessed gums it will be difficult to whiten these areas as well. What you are seeing is exposed dentin which naturally has a more yellow color than enamel.