Have you been upset about your discolored teeth? Or even white opaque spots on your teeth that ruin your appearance that you are so afraid to smile or pose for photographs? Here comes the solution, tooth whitening can help bring out the bright smile in you.

What Are The Causes of Discolored or Stained Teeth?

An understanding of the underlying cause of tooth discoloration is helpful to prevent future discoloration of the teeth. Tooth discoloration and darken due to a myriad of causes, including :

1. Medications – tetracycline is an antibiotic that causes staining in bands on tooth surfaces in children with developing enamel, typically blue-grey or yellow-brown in color. Hence, pregnant mothers are contraindicated to tetracycline prescription. Antihistamines, antidepressants and antihypertensives are other known drugs.
2. Food and drinks – fruits that change color on exposure to air like cherries and blueberries, beverages like tea, coffee, and red wines contain pigments that can stain the enamel layer. They can be removed upon brushing after meal but if they are left, they invade the porous tooth structure. The longer the pigments retained, deeper the staining that results.
3. Habits – smoking and chewing tobacco, poor dental hygiene – lack of proper brushing and flossing result in white, gray, brown, black, yellow or even green tooth stains.
4. Fluoride – drinking water, toothpastes and mouthwashes may contain high levels of fluoride that causes mottling of enamel and chalky-white flecks, patches or lines on tooth surfaces.
5. Medical treatment – radiation to the head and chemotherapy in means of treating cancer affect the enamel and dentin layer leading to discoloration.
6. Dental treatment – amalgam restorations in long term can cause graying of tooth.
7. Age – as time goes by, teeth accumulates more stains and tartars, giving a dull appearance. In older people, the enamel layer protecting teeth worn off leaving the dentin which is naturally yellow in color.
8. Injuries – tooth that has undergone trauma may have damaged the nerves leading to internal discoloration.

Types of  Tooth Whitening

A dentist will first examine your teeth and discuss with you the different treatment options available to obtain whiter teeth

a) At- Home – a tooth-whitening kit is usually used, gels or strips applied on a custom-made tray and left overnight for a period of time for maximum effective results. They are less expensive compared to professional tooth whitening.

b) In- Office / Professional

– Extrinsic discoloration and stains by food and beverages can be easily removed by applying a bleaching peroxide gel to the enamel surface for about an hour.

– Intrinsic discoloration from root canal treatment, tetracycline, fluoride overdose will not succumb to normal bleaching process. Dental veneers or bonding are used to restore teeth to sparkling white.

Opalescence Tooth Whitening System

A professional method of tooth whitening kit that is used to whiten teeth. It has a non-bleach property and proven to have no side effects. Their results are long-lasting unlike any other whitening products. The agent responsible behind this process is carbamide peroxide which is less harmful to oral health. It works slowly by penetrating teeth and whitens them. It is available as in-office and home do-it-yourself whitening system. It differs from tooth bleaching which has hydrogen peroxide as the agent to bleach the tooth with an aid of laser light to induce a chemical reaction, changing the shade of tooth to be lighter in color. Dentist first takes an impression of your teeth and trays are made to fit them in order to seat perfectly in the mouth later. You are then asked to brush your teeth using a whitening toothpaste to remove the plaque build-up. Teeth are then dried with a soft cloth or paper towel before the gel tray is applied. The gel is spread over the front tooth surfaces and the rest are spread over the tray in limited amounts. Seat the tray onto the upper and lower teeth, remove any excess if present. The tray is left overnight and in the morning, remove, rinse and brush as usual. Trays need to be kept in high hygiene standards. Use until maximum whiteness is achieved depends on the severity of your discoloration. Maintenance is needed to ensure teeth remain white. Refrain from coffee, wine, soda and foods known to cause staining of teeth.

They are usual prescribed and not available as an over-the-counter product. They are available in three forms with varying percentage : 15%, 20%, and 35%. A higher percentage of carbamide peroxide acts faster and is a deciding factor in time period the gel left on teeth for each application. The higher percentage gel should be used for a shorter time limit. It is normally recommended for those with severe staining and unable to achieve desired results. The home treatment involves two applications 30 minutes per day. The appointment treatment ensures a faster result for those who wants a quick change in their tooth shade.to prevent any unwanted effects. It is strictly advised to follow the instructions and directions as told Opalescence tooth whitening gel comes in three flavors like melon, mint and original to soothe once preference. They are very handy and can be done at home, in-office and on-the-go. They are effective and can produce excellent results in an hour’s time. They work to prevent cavities and improve the health of enamel making them harder as well as giving you brighter, stronger and healthy teeth in one-go. The only drawback in this opalescence whitening gel is the cost which is expensive.

Try it for yourself and see the difference that this product offers. You will be thrilled to see the results.