Discolored Teeth? What To Know About Teeth Whitening Safety

If your discolored teeth have been bothering you, you may be looking into a way to make the shade of your smile brighter. Thankfully, there are whitening procedures out there that can fix the problem for you. Do not jump right into any whitening procedure without knowing the risks involved with them. Here is what you need to know about procedures done at home or in the dentist office.

Teeth Whitening Trays

A popular method for teeth whitening is whitening trays. This involves creating a tray that is custom fit to your mouth, which is done with a process similar to making a mouth guard. You place the plastic tray in a cup of boiling water, let it cool off slightly, bite down onto the tray, and form it to the shape of your teeth. You then put a whitening gel in the trays, which you wear on your teeth The whitening gel is made with peroxide, which bleach your teeth to the desired shade of white. Dentists can also make these trays for you.

This whitening solution can take some time for it to work, with at-home solutions being very safe. The peroxide gel is not very strong, so the chances of it making your teeth too white is very low. The biggest concern is not allowing the gel to come in contact with your gums, which can cause irritation.

Baking Soda and Lemon Juice

One at-home remedy that you may have heard of is to use a baking soda and lemon juice solution to whiten your teeth. While it may seem natural, it is a method that can actually cause damage to your teeth. This is because the lemon juice is very harsh and acidic, which can cause damage to your teeth just like soda, coffee, and wine. You are better off not attempting this home remedy, since it will not perform as intended.

Whitening Toothpaste

While a whitening toothpaste may seem safe, the problem is that they often include abrasive cleaning materials that are supposed to scrub away stains rather that change the color of your teeth. Rather than change the color of your smile, a whitening toothpaste can have a long-term effect where it slowly wears away the protective layer of enamel.

Dental Office Treatments

The best thing you can do is visit a cosmetic dentistry clinic for a professional opinion. Dentists use a much stronger hydrogen peroxide solution, but it is applied in the safety of a trained professional. You'll find that your teeth become whiter much faster, and you'll have less issues with irritation.