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QuoteTOOTH WHITENING, A SOLUTION FOR A BRIGHT SMILE
Posted by Christopher, on 20/11/2012
At a time when aestheticism plays a fundamental role in human relations. It is easy to understand the attitude of some people who push for perfection with a bright smile. Indeed, more and more people do not hesitate to use the services of a dental surgeon or to use whitening solutions sold in shops to obtain the smile of their dreams.
Is it safe to abuse these miraculous and expensive solutions that allow us to have the smile of our dreams?
Today, the number of people having recourse to this treatment is increasing. This phenomenon is explained by the fact that the smile is now perceived as the first contact with an individual. It is easy to understand why people want to make a good impression at the first meeting.
The search for this bright smile has ended up perverting the image that individuals have of the tooth. For them, it is naturally white, and is stained by eating habits and poor oral hygiene.
This is a received idea and at the same time not totally false. It is important to point out that the tooth is not perfectly white at the origin and its color is strongly influenced by many external factors like:
- The color of the skin which plays a role on the perception that we have of the brightness of the teeth. Between two people with approximately the same color teeth, the one with darker skin will give the impression of having whiter teeth.
- Foods (coffee, tea, beet...) are foods that can alter the natural color of teeth and leave stains.
- Medications such as tetracycline can turn teeth yellow.
- Age is a factor that also plays on the color of teeth, they tend to yellow.
- Smoking causes yellowing and staining of the teeth.
- To overcome these problems of yellowing, people have resorted to the services of professionals (dental surgeons) to make their teeth regain their "initial whiteness".
In order to meet the demands of their clients, these dental professionals use products with a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide (oxygenated water) that make the teeth white and porous. In this state, the white color obtained is easily degraded by what we ingest and this, for 24 hours.
In order for the treatment to last as long as possible, the patient is often advised not to eat for 8 hours after the treatment and to be satisfied with foods with a weak coloration such as cottage cheese or chicken breast for 24 hours (the idea is that the whiter you eat, the whiter your teeth will be or will remain). On closer inspection, this type of diet can easily be combined with a slimming diet.
Regarding the duration of tooth whitening, specialists do not agree. They assume that with good oral hygiene, the treatment can last a little over 4 years.
Tooth whitening is a very effective procedure, but it is far too expensive. Assuming that the teeth are healthy (i.e. with little or no cavities or crowns), you will need to pay between 600 and 900 euros for the treatment. For the result to last, you will have to count double, and think about adopting new simple and effective hygiene measures, to keep a bright smile as at the first visit to the dentist.
However, there are negative effects to these treatments. It is true that abusing this treatment leads to side effects that vary depending on the patient. It is important to remember that a chemically whitened tooth is a weakened tooth. Some patients experience moderate sensitivity in the teeth and gums after treatment. In principle, these discomforts only last a week or two. They are the result of a pronounced exposure to the bleaching agents that damage the enamel and gums. In exceptional cases, some patients react badly to the treatment and subsequently complain of increased sensitivity to hot and cold foods and even to air.
We can therefore conclude that tooth whitening is an excellent remedy for people with stained but healthy teeth. As previously mentioned, the smile is an excellent means of communication to convey an idea, a feeling. It is therefore important to take care of it.
In no way should you believe that whitening is the solution that will allow you to replace good oral hygiene. It doesn't matter how talented the dentist is, if your teeth are too damaged, if you have a large number of prostheses or crowns. It will be more difficult for you to obtain the result you want, unless you are willing to pay astronomical sums.
