White Whitening

Teeth whitening is a cost-effective way to enjoy the benefits of cosmetic dentistry. From our location in San Mateo, we are your fast and knowledgeable source to provide you with bright, sparkling smiles. If you suffer from one of the following symptoms, you may be a candidate for tooth whitening:

* Uneven color and dark marks
* Sign of aging
* Staining from smoking
* Side-effects of older medication
* Yellowing of the teeth
* Stains from red wine, soft drinks, tea or coffee

Today, many products claim to “whiten” your teeth. However, clinical studies show that non-professional procedures and “new” teeth bleaching products do NOT provide satisfactory results. Dr. Wong uses BriteSmile.

Tooth bleaching, or tooth whitening, is a very common procedure in general dentistry and especially in the field of cosmetic dentistry. Many consider white teeth on a smile to be an attractive feature. Normally, children's deciduous teeth are generally whiter in color than the adult teeth. As a person ages, the adult teeth often become darker because of the changes in the mineral structure of the teeth. Teeth are often stained by bacterial pigments, food and tobacco.

Teeth bleaching utilizes oxidizing agents such as hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide to lighten the shade of the tooth. The agent penetrates the porosities in the rod-like crystal structure of enamel and oxidizes interprismatic stain deposits; over a certain period of time, the dentin layer, lying underneath the enamel, will also be bleached. You may see the effect of bleaching for few months, but it may be shortened by cigarette, tea and coffee.

Methods

There are two main methods of bleaching--one performed by a dentist and one self-performed. Our dentist will apply a high concentration of oxidizing agent for a short time, and you will notice results instantly. To reduce the risk of chemical burns to the soft tissues, the procedures use a light-cured protective layer that is carefully painted on the gums and papilla (the tips of the gums between the teeth).

In most cases, a single course of bleaching may produce dramatic improvements in appearance of the stained teeth; yet, some stains may not respond to bleaching. Tetracycline staining may require prolonged bleaching, as it takes longer for the bleach to reach the dentine layer.

You may want to read more about our laser whitening treatment.

original source: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_bleaching>
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