Good Teeth: They Don't Have to Be in Your Genes

It is very important to have a nice smile. One of the first physical traits that a person will notice about you is your teeth. If you have beautiful white teeth, then their first impression is going to be a good one. However, yellow teeth can leave a negative first impression. In many cases, yellow teeth occur despite good hygiene. The problem is that some teeth are a little more susceptible to yellowing. There are a lot of factors that can go into your teeth becoming yellow. Smoking, coffee, tea, orange juice, and many other foods can increase the chances of your teeth yellowing. The good news is that you can actually whiten your teeth. Many individuals see fantastic results when they whiten their teeth. Here are a few thing that you need to know when you whiten your teeth.

Do-It-Yourself Whiteners

The whiteners that you buy over the counter will use a bleaching agent to whiten your teeth. The bleaching agent is used to break the bonds between your teeth and the stain. There are a few important aspects of using this type of whitener. You first want to make sure that you follow the directions exactly. If you do not follow directions exactly, you may cause damage to your teeth. You should also know that many people experience sensitive teeth when using bleaching agents. The good news is that these over-the-counter whiteners can really work.

Dentist Whitening

If you decide that you want a dentist to whiten your teeth, you should plan on it taking a few appointments. The dentist is going to use very strong bleaching agents and mild abrasion, and some even use light therapy and lasers to break the chemical bonds between the stains and your teeth. Once again, the main complaint is that whitening your teeth can leave your teeth extremely sensitive. This can be the case even more so with the concentrated bleaching agent. You should know that this sensitivity can be treated with specific toothpastes, but the sensitivity usually only lasts a few days.

Permanent

It would certainly be nice if the results were permanent, but you need to make sure that you keep up with your dental hygiene. Teeth whitening is designed to get the stains off of your teeth. The teeth whiteners do not prevent future problems. However, if you limit your intake of acidic and sugary foods, this can help. If you are a tobacco user, the most important step to whiter teeth is to stop using tobacco. You also need to continually maintain a good dental hygiene plan.