We all want those flashing pearly whites, but it’s rare for us to come by white teeth naturally. With the amount of acidic foods and drinks that stain our teeth, in combination with age and other factors (such as if you smoke or not), it’s no wonder that so many of us are trying to get that white smile.
There are a number of teeth whitening products out there, all of them designed for different levels of need. We’ll start with the most basic of them all:
Low Level Whitening: Whitening Toothpaste
There are a ton of these products out on the market these days. One common misconception is that the toothpaste contains some agent that is whitening our teeth. This is not in fact truth. Whitening toothpastes have a grainy substance added to them which helps scrub away at any surface stains.
TIP: A lot of women swear by using baking soda too to help both whiten their smile and freshen their breath.
Medium Level Whitening: Whitening Strips
We’ve seen the commercials about these “white strips” that hit the market some years ago. As they are relatively new, it’s left a lot of people wondering if they are well worth the money.
White strips can cost any where between $20 and $100, depending on the brand that you buy and how “effective” they are supposed to be. Whitening strips will make a difference to your teeth that will be noticeable in under a month. With continued use, you may or may not get super white teeth. If you want reasonably whiter teeth, then white strips are a good way to go.
High Level Whitening: Dental Whitening
If you really need to get your teeth nice and white, then you may want to consider having your teeth whitened by a professional – your dentist! This is a rather costly procedure, running any where from $100 to $1000, however if you really need to get those yellow and grey teeth sparkling white, this is the best way to go. The results are also immediate, no matter which whitening method that you use, so you will leave the dentist’s chair with a brand new smile.
Dentists may use a paste, or they can also use laser technology on your teeth to help whiten them up. Laser whitening begins with having the patient having his or her teeth cleaned up by the dentist. Then, a teeth whitening gel is applied to the teeth. This gel has a bleaching agent which is stronger than that which you can find in any over the counter products in the store. Once the gel has been applied, a laser is then used to help expedite the gel penetration process through the enamel. This is usually a one hour procedure, and is well worth it if you want pearly white teeth.
Extreme Level Whitening: Veneers
So your teeth just don’t seem to be restorable, or you may want to fix up the appearance of your teeth as well as whiten them. Then it is definitely time to consider veneers. These are by no means inexpensive, but the end result is certainly worth it.