Today, teeth whitening has become a household name for anyone who cares for the image because every one wants to put the first foot forward, or is it first tooth forward? Men and women alike are flocking dental parlors and kiosks that are offering this unique treatment. The good news is that there is actually something for everyone. No matter where you are and what your budget might be you will surely get a treatment regime that is going to fit you.

Studies indicate that there is a large percentage of the current population who are looking for some sort of solution to make their teeth whiter and brighter than they currently are. There estimates that indicate that up to 15 percent of the people have either visited their local dental hospital or even bought some do-it – yourself home based bleaching kit. However, the distressing thing is that there is a lot of misinformation regarding this subject. The long and the short of it is that teeth whitening works. Virtually everyone who opts for this cosmetic treatment will see moderate to substantial improvement in the brightness and whiteness of their smile. However, the truth of the matter is that teeth whitening is not a permanent solution and requires maintenance or “touch-ups” for a prolonged effect.

Woman whitening teeth

Why Teeth Whitening?

The challenge most of us are finding ourselves in is that we want to maintain the whiteness of teeth that we begin with as young children. We generally start out with sparkling white teeth with porcelain like enamel surface made up of microscopic crystalline rods, which is specifically designed to protect the tooth from all the effects of chewing, gnashing, trauma and the attacks from acids especially caused by sugar. Unfortunately as time draws on the enamel gets worn out and becomes transparent letting the yellow color of dentin to appear through.

As you continue to chew innocently the dentin remains intact while many microscopic cracks appear in the enamel. It is these cracks, as well as the spaces between the crystalline enamel rods, that gradually fill up with stains and debris. As a result, the teeth eventually develop a dull, lackluster appearance. The process of teeth whitening therefore does away with these stains and any debris to leave the enamel cracks open and exposed. In the course of time some of these cracks will be re-mineralized by saliva while others will again fill up with unwanted debris.

To protect your teeth and keep them white most of the time you therefore need to note that there are basically two types of staining that can take place – extrinsic and intrinsic staining. The former is known to take place when teeth are exposed to dark colored drinks, foods and tobacco together with the routine wear and tear. These are minor stains which can easily be removed by brushing and prophylactic dental cleaning. Persistent extrinsic stains can penetrate into the dentin and become ingrained if they are not dealt with early.

On the other hand intrinsic stains form on the interior of the teeth and can be as a result of aging, trauma, exposure to minerals such as tetracycline and too much ingestion of fluoride. For many years it was considered an impossibility to remove this class of stains but today we know better.  Today, cosmetic dentistry experts believe that even deep-set intrinsic stains can be removed with supervised take-home teeth whitening that is maintained over a matter of months or even a year.

There are several factors that can contribute to staining of teeth which we look at briefly here below.

Age: Age happens to be one of the major causes of teeth staining because as we age they seem to darken as a result of wear, tear and stain accumulation. Younger men and women in their twenties are more likely to enjoy the benefits of teeth whitening and the results will be more dramatic. However as people get older the yellow cast that appears will require more effort to remove and by the time you hit your 40s and 50s you will require much more effort and maintenance because the teeth will have absorbed a host of stains that may prove more difficult to remove.

Translucency and thinness: There is also the hereditary factor that comes to bear fruit also as we continue to age. All teeth have some signs of translucency but those that are opaque and thick seem to have an advantage as they will appear lighter in color and show much more sparkle in response to bleaching. Teeth that are thinner and more transparent — most notably the front teeth — have less of the pigment that is necessary for bleaching. According to cosmetic dentists, transparency is the only condition that cannot be corrected by any form of teeth whitening.

Dietary habits: It is now an open secret that consumption of coffee, tea, cola drinks, red wine, carrots, oranges and many other deep colored foods has the capacity to cause some amount of staining over the cause of time. It is also a fact that acidic foods such as citrus fruits and vinegar have a high impact on the enamel as they erode it progressively. As a result, the surface becomes more transparent and more of the yellow-colored dentin shows through.

Smoking habits: Nicotine from cigarette smoke leaves brown deposits which will soak into the tooth structure and cause discoloration over time

Drugs / chemicals: Tetracycline usage during tooth formation produces dark grey or brown ribbon stains which are very difficult to remove. Excessive consumption of fluoride causes fluorosis and associated areas of white mottling.

Grinding: People will most likely grind their teeth as a result of stress and this can add into the micro-cracking which eventually causes the biting edges to darken

Trauma: Trauma can be caused by falls and many other injuries which are likely to cause sizable cracks in the teeth which will obviously collect large amounts of stains and debris.