For effective, long lasting, teeth whitening we need to change the deeper colour of the tooth, not just the outside layer. The most effective, and natural, way is with an oxidising ingredient such as peroxide. But it’s not as simple as rinsing with a peroxide mouth wash (which is a good way of managing some gum issues). You do still need custom trays and special bleaching gels to achieve your whitening goals.
Some people recoil a little when I tell them that a bleach, which is what peroxide is, is the most safe and natural way to whiten your teeth. But hydrogen peroxide is naturally produced by your body. One of its roles is in our immune system to fight infections. Used in the mouth and gut it breaks down into its basic ingredients of oxygen and water.
It works by oxidizing pigments in the enamel, and longer exposures enable this to penetrate beyond the outer enamel layer and into the yellow dentine. We recommend using a low dose of carbamide peroxide. Carbamide peroxide slowly breaks down into hydrogen peroxide. This allows the material to spend more time on the teeth allowing for a much deeper penetration.
Carbamide peroxide gels needs longer contact time to remove those deeper stains, so you will need to have the custom trays on for longer (at least 45 minutes, but overnight is best). The upside is that the short-term sensitivity is greatly reduce with this milder strength bleach.
So the secret to maximising the benefit from your teeth whitening regimen is use a proper bleaching gel, such as a 10% carbamide peroxide.
There is a place for higher strength hydrogen peroxide gels, but these are for very limited applications and should only be done in the dental office.
It is also important to add that you should have your teeth checked by a dentist before embarking on teeth whitening. Book a dental appointment online today with Collins Precision Dental.
-Dr Paul
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