![]() ![]() ![]() “A lot of my patients who naturally have whiter teeth or slightly discolored teeth are happy with the results.”ĭr. “Over the counter, I recommend Crest 3D White Whitestrips,” Dr. It seems almost as if they’ve been around forever - and professionals still love ‘em. There’s no doubt that Crest Whitestrips are one of the most recognizable over-the-counter teeth whitening systems available. ![]() Crest 3D White Whitestrips Professional Effects Teeth Whitening Kit, $44.99 () Once you have that conversation, consider one of these over-the-counter kits.ġ. Regardless, he says, involving your dentist in the discussion will help you ensure you’re taking the right path. Messina says, you’ll be whitening your tooth enamel itself rather than the tartar or build-up on top of it. That’s why it’s always good to have a thorough examination done by your dentist before starting on a whitening program.” Not to mention, if you do the whitening right after having your teeth cleaned at the dentist, Dr. “If somebody has cavities or periodontal disease, or some other reason why their teeth aren’t white, whitening is not the right choice for them. “Tooth whitening is something that should only be done in a healthy mouth situation,” he says. Before you do so, though, consider taking a trip to the dentist for your standard teeth cleaning and to consult on your at-home whitening plans. Messina says you can use it for seven to 10 days to start, and then once every other week or so for maintenance. “Also, want to make sure that the product you buy has a good shelf life and you store the product properly ( the refrigerator will last longer),” he says. Hadaegh says that the substance is “made from a crystallized compound found in quartz and sand can damage tooth enamel and gum tissue.” Aside from that, Giri Palani, DDS, a dentist in Beverly Hills and Palos Verdes, California says the most important thing is to look for when you’re shopping is ease of use. One ingredient to steer clear of? Hydrated silica. Messina says that all over-the-counter, peroxide-based whiteners will deliver comparable results as long as you follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use. So, we have to use a much lower strength of the active ingredient because…it might burn gum tissues.” Professionals, on the other hand, “can take all the necessary precautions to make sure the gum tissue is safe and protected and the whitening agent is only getting on the tooth enamel that we want whiter.” “Something you’re using over-the-counter has the potential to touch the gum tissues or be swallowed. “If we’re doing something where we can mask off the gum tissue…where the gum tissues are protected, we can use a stronger whitening agent…because it’s only touching the teeth,” Dr. The only difference is the concentration. Peroxide is the main active ingredient in the products dentists use to do professional whitening in their offices, too. Messina notes that aside from the peroxide, over-the-counter whitening products usually contain some additional ingredient to improve the taste. “This helps the manufacturer to insure product quality and consistency at the consumer’s end.” Dr. “Carbamide peroxide is used because it’s a comparatively stable compound,” Neil Hadaegh, DDS, a cosmetic and restorative dentist in Beverly Hills, California says. Messina says peroxide causes that bubbling to occur, so the active ingredient in whitening kits you buy will be hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide (a diluted version of hydrogen peroxide). He explains that removing stains within the matrix of the tooth enamel is like getting out dirt stuck in chicken wire: “So what happens in whitening is we want to…open the matrix and bubble out that color, the stain, and then close it back up.” “If you were to look at tooth enamel under a really powerful microscope, kind of looks like chicken wire” (or wire mesh). “Tooth enamel a crystal,” Matthew Messina, DDS, spokesperson for the American Dental Association (ADA), says. We feel moved to hit up the local drugstore for whitening products to freshen up our smiles - perhaps without giving much thought to what those products actually are and how they work. But alas, for many of us (particularly those of us with a serious coffee habit), that’s just not the case. In an ideal world, brushing your teeth routinely would be enough to keep your set of pearly whites, well, pearly and white between routine dentist appointments. Hadaegh recommends one of his favorite drugstore teeth-whitening kits. ![]()
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