The Basics of How Tooth Whiteners Work

People are always looking for ways in which they can whiten their teeth. This is what has boosted the tooth whitening industry to the multi million dollar industry that it has become. If a person is interested in getting their teeth whitened, they may want to understand how tooth whiteners work so they can know if it is something they should do for themselves.

The first thing to look at when figuring out how tooth whiteners work is what you are looking at. There are many different products on the market for whitening teeth and not all of them work in the same way. The general idea with tooth whiteners is that they all contain some sort of bleaching agent that allows them to lighten the stains on the teeth so that they are whiter in color.

One of the most common ways in which tooth whiteners do their job is with peroxide, which is found in basically all of these products. This is the most common way that these products work, using either. The peroxide on the teeth causes an oxidation to occur and breaks up the stains that are on the teeth, causing the bubbly feeling that most people associate with peroxide. The higher the percentage of the peroxide in the tooth whitener, the faster you will see results. However, the higher the percentage, the more chances of having harmful side effects, such as increased teeth sensitivity.

There are other active ingredients that can be used instead or in conjunction with peroxide. Some of these include Calprox, baking soda, hydrated silica and potassium nitrate. Each of these can be used for many different applications and can help to give you the pearly whites you are looking for.

There are many ways in which a person can use a tooth whitener to get the results that they are looking for. There are four basic ways in which the tooth whiteners work. One is with molds for your mouth, much like mouth guards, that you fill with a gel or spray and leave on your teeth for a certain amount of time twice a day for 30 minutes for 7-10 days. Another method is very similar to this, only it is the whitening strips, which mean that you do not have to fill the molds and the strips contour to the teeth. These two forms of whitening tend to have higher concentrations of bleaching units and therefore cannot be used as long.

Whitening mouthwashes are another way that tooth whiteners can do their job. The other major way is with whitening toothpastes. These are nice in the aspect that while they take a longer time to work, they are made to be used for an indefinate timeframe.

The last thing to keep in mind when trying to figure out which tooth whitener you want to use is the active ingredients in the various whitening products and making sure that you follow instructions so you will not harm your mouth.