Having healthy white teeth can make you feel like smiling more often just to show them off, but if your teeth are stained, you might be more likely to try and keep them hidden. There's another option: a whitening treatment or procedure to restore your teeth to their natural bright white color. Choose from over-the-counter or professional options to give your teeth their chance to shine!
Preventing Tooth Discoloration
Tooth enamel is very susceptible to staining, and discoloration is a problem that many people struggle with. Coffee and tea are the beverages that are most often responsible for stains; red wine is also a common culprit. Strongly-pigmented foods can also cause staining; for instance, blueberries and blackberries, along with citrus fruits and acidic foods, can all stain the teeth. Additionally, smoking or chewing tobacco products is highly staining, too.
Avoiding these foods and beverages and avoiding the use of tobacco products is the best way to prevent staining and keep your teeth looking their best. A good oral hygiene routine, including twice-daily brushing and daily flossing, can help reduce the effect of habits that contribute to staining. However, over time the effects of foods, beverages, and tobacco do add up, and it's hard to completely prevent staining.
Luckily, there are several options for tooth whitening that can reduce or even eliminate staining.
Your Teeth Whitening Options
Over-the-Counter Products
Over-the-counter tooth-whitening kits are inexpensive and easy to find at your local pharmacy. To use one of these kits, you’ll apply a whitening solution to trays that you wear for a short time each day. This can be a good option if you just want to whiten your teeth one or two shades. However, because these kits aren’t customized specifically for you, it can be tough to get the exact level of whitening you want, and the trays can be uncomfortable to wear.
In-office Dental Products
In-office dental whitening includes treatments such as Zoom! whitening, which enhances the whitening power of hydrogen peroxide with a special kind of light that can penetrate tooth enamel to remove stains. This treatment can give great results, with the ability to whiten your teeth up to 7 shades in just one 45-minute session.
Take-home Dental Products
Take-home tooth whitening products from your dentist work in a similar fashion to over-the-counter whitening kits, with some important differences. When you get these products from your dentist, you’ll receive professional-quality whitening products that are customized to your needs, to help you achieve the exact level of whitening you need.
Your dentist can provide these products as an alternative whitening method, or help you maintain your teeth after an in-office whitening treatment.
Veneers
An alternative solution to tooth-whitening products is porcelain veneers, which conceal the stains rather than removing them. Veneers are a particularly effective option if your teeth are affected by other aesthetic problems such as uneven size or shape, minor alignment issues, or cracks and chips.
Of course, it's important to keep up with a good oral hygiene routine and to avoid habits that contribute to staining, to make sure your veneers stay looking as good as the day you got them.
Talk to Your Dentist About Your Whitening Options
If you'd love to improve your smile with tooth whitening, talk to your dentist for advice about which methods will work best for you. Once you start treatment, it won't be long before you have a smile you'll love to show off!