Dentist Dental Tips

1. Fiction

   All whitening products are the same.

   Fact
   Products vary tremendously. The most important differences are the way in which the product is applied to the tooth, specific ingredients, and nature of the whitening gel. They also vary widely in strength, effectiveness, and pH (acidity) of the whitening gel.

2. Fiction
   Whitening toothpastes are effective at whitening teeth.Fact
   Brushing your teeth is very important for your dental health and general hygiene! However, it is simply not possible for any active whitening ingredients in toothpastes to be held in contact with the teeth long enough to be very effective. The natural flow of saliva in the mouth washes away these ingredients before they have time to work. Furthermore, whitening toothpastes are generally formulated at very weak concentrations.
3. Fiction
   Whitening Strips are the best way to whiten teeth.Fact
   Due to the unique contours and curvature of each tooth, whitening strips can only contact a small portion of the tooth surface. These strips poorly contact depressions on the tooth surface and rarely are able to reach the areas between teeth. For a visual reference, think of a Band-Aid spanning the surface of all 5 fingers… The spaces between your fingers get no contact.
   Furthermore, they are marketed as ‘one-size-fits-all’, but unfortunately, ones size certainly does not fit all. Because the whitening ingredients can only contact small areas of the teeth, they can not uniformly bleach the entire tooth. The result is uneven whitening referred to as ‘striping’. Striping is most evident in the areas between teeth and can actually be quite embarrassing.

1. Fiction
   The Paint-On products are quicker and easier.
   Fact
   The paint on products do not last long in the mouth and they do not look natural. Any whitening ingredients are very quickly washed away by saliva, just like the whitening toothpastes. These paint on products are very weakly concentrated as well. They must be weak to avoid soft tissue irritation when you close your mouth and your teeth contact the inside of lips. Conversely, some paint on procedures do not attempt to remove the stains at all. As the name implies, they paint on a white colored substance. This would be similar to applying White-Out to your teeth, it doesn’t last long nor does it look natural.
2. Fiction
   Over-the-counter whitening products with pulsing lights are ‘high tech’ and activate the tooth whitening gel to optimize the whitening process.
   Fact
   The tooth whitening products with bright flashing lights (often in the check-out lines of supermarkets and pharmacies) are not new, ‘high tech’, or effective. These bright flashing lights have little, if any resemblance to those provided by in-office dental procedures. It is nothing more than a clever marketing ploy. Generally speaking, these whitening products use EL (Electroluminescent) light. EL lighting is primarily used in toys, games and children’s jewelry. It is also commonly found in portable electronics products (** for example, much of the backlighting for cellular telephones is EL, the same blue EL light wavelength that many products claim to catalyze the whitening process). Tooth whitening is accomplished by the oxidizing ability of the whitening gel alone. The active ingredient in the gel is broken down and oxygen acts upon the stained organic deposits. This oxidation reaction breaks down and removes the staining, leaving your teeth their natural white color.
3. Fiction
   Everyone gets the same results with bleaching.
   Fact
   Everyone is different as is the nature of their staining. Some peoples teeth bleach very easily and some are difficult to treat. Yellow-ish hued teeth usually bleach well. Brown-ish colored teeth bleach less than yellow teeth. Gray-ish hued teeth are the most difficult to bleach
4. Fiction
   Tooth whitening may cause mouth cancer.
   Fact
   The American Dental Society refutes that claim. There is no substance to any of these claims.
5. Fiction
   Custom whitening trays aren’t that important, you should just use boil-n-bite
   thermoform trays to save some money.
   Fact
   Custom trays are very important! Having a tray custom made to fit the unique contours of your teeth is essential to assure proper tooth bleaching and consistent results. With custom made bleaching trays there is no ‘striping’ that whitening strips or boil-n-bite thermoform trays can cause. Furthermore, custom trays allow you to preserve expensive whtiening gel and avoid gingival irritation by preventing gel seepage out of the tray. This bleaches the teeth faster and more consistently while saving you money and preventing gingival irritation.
6. Fiction
   Tooth bleaching is harmful to the teeth and gums
   Fact
   Bleaching is harmless. The gel removes stains vai gentle oxidizing mechanisms. The natural structure of the teeth and gums remains unchanged. In some cases, the teeth may become sensitive. This sensitivity is temporary and will lessen or be totally alleviated by reducing application times. Some people also experience soft tissue irritation. This irritation can be caused by an ill fitting tray or from solution that comes in contact with the tissue.
7. Fiction
   Hydrogen Peroxide based tooth whitening gels are more effective than Carbamide Peroxide based gels and are used at lower concentrations.
   Fact
   Products containing hydrogen peroxide often appear to use a much lower concentration than Carbamide peroxide but, for example, a material containing 6% hydrogen peroxide actually has the equivalent strength of 18% Carbamide peroxide. Basically, Carbamide peroxide and hydrogen peroxide are used at a 3:1 ratio, respectively. They are equal in effectiveness

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