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- What You Should Know About Dental Whitening Products
- By:Anne Harvester
Everyone it seems wants to have the whitest teeth possible, and the number of dental whitening products on the market can make it difficult to choose. If you have stained or discolored teeth and are considering a whitening gel or bleaching agent, you’re probably wondering which of the many dental whitening products available are best for you.
What Should I Use?
If you drink tea or coffee regularly, some staining of the teeth is inevitable, no matter how conscientious you may be about using dental care products as part of a tooth care regimen. Other factors that may cause tooth discoloration are smoking, certain diseases, and even genetics.
Dental whitening products are substances that when applied to the teeth will cause them to appear whiter.
Teeth stains can be intrinsic, meaning that they affect the deep parts of the enamel or extrinsic, which is a superficial staining of the tooth surface – or both. These dental aid products may be either:
Bleaching: these use peroxide in order to penetrate the tooth enamel and remove deep-seated intrinsic stains, or
Non-bleaching: these are products that use a chemical reaction in order to remove superficial extrinsic stains on the surface enamel. Whitening gel is an example.
These products may be dispensed (and applied) by your dentist, or available over-the-counter. Although the method of application may vary, virtually all of these dental whitening products involve the use of hydrogen peroxide.
Isn’t That Toxic?
Actually, hydrogen peroxide – scientifically known as dihydrogen dioxide – is not much more than plain water with an extra oxygen atom. Water molecules as you may remember have two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen, hence the term H2O. Hydrogen peroxide is H2O2. Because oxygen is highly corrosive, H2O2 acts as a weak acid, which is why it works well in tooth whitening gels and other dental ail products.
In small amounts, hydrogen peroxide is harmless and even antiseptic. Drinking it down as you would water is not a good idea, but when the small amount used to whiten teeth is unlikely to do any serious harm – although some patients do report minor irritation of inner mouth tissues and mucus membranes.
Your dentist can suggest dental whitening products as well as non-toxic toothpaste that will clean your teeth while helping them to look their brightest. A little detective work and due diligence will help you to learn which dental whitening products are right for you.
About the author:
Ann is a frequent user of dental whitening products from Cleure products. They offer safer, eco-friendly, personal care and dental care products for all ages. No other source is as trusted for you and your loved one's dental aid products.