Health and Fitness, Teeth Whitening - Monday, June 30, 2008 12:57 - 0 Comments

How Toothpaste Whitens Your Teeth

Understanding how toothpaste whitens your teeth

Teeth discoloration is something practically everyone suffers from because of aging, consumption of coffee, tea, tobacco and in some cases, antibiotics like tetracyclines. This is why cosmetic dentistry has come up with means of whitening your teeth. There are hundreds of products and quite a few methods to use to whiten your teeth.

You have to choose the product according to your budget and the urgency of teeth whitening. The most expensive teeth whitening product is office laser whitening that costs about $600 - $1,000 depending on the doctor and the amount of discoloration. This method produces immediate and guaranteed results.

Teeth whitening toothpaste is a cheap means of whitening teeth

However if you are looking for a cheaper alternative, then teeth whitening toothpaste is the answer for your teeth whitening needs. This is the cheapest and slowest method to be used to get whiter teeth. However you may need to wait for six months of brushing your teeth twice a day with this toothpaste to see results.

These teeth whitening toothpastes don’t actually increase the whiteness of the teeth. What they actually do is work at removing stains which in turn makes your teeth whiter. Instead of starting on your teeth whitening procedure with a teeth whitening toothpastes, many people opt to have an in office laser whitening, or gel tray and then use this toothpaste so that their smile remains white.

So if you have the money, you could try this option. However if you have the time and are looking for something cheaper, you can use teeth whitening toothpastes on a long time basis to see an improvement in your teeth.

Over brushing of teeth can lead to loss of tooth enamel

Basically, the success of your tooth whitening toothpaste is very much dependant on how long, and how often you brush your teeth. However bear it in mind that many dental health professionals warn that excessive use of toothpastes you may use to reduce the staining and yellowing of teeth leads to the loss of tooth enamel. This is mainly because of the over-brushing associated with excessive use of the toothpaste.

As tooth enamel is something that cannot be replaced, you have to be careful when using your toothpaste. Moreover, if you have sensitive teeth, you will not be able to use a tooth whitening toothpaste. As the tooth enamel is already sensitive in people with sensitive teeth.

Teeth whitening toothpastes have humectants in them

There are various ingredients found in teeth whitening toothpastes, where different ingredients have different functions. These teeth whitening toothpastes have abrasives in them that work at removing debris on the teeth and all residual stains.

These toothpastes also have humectants that work at avoiding the loss of water and it also has thickening agents and binders that help in stabilizing toothpaste formulations. These thickening agents prevent the separation of liquid and solid phases while the flavoring and foaming agents in the toothpaste are to be chosen by your preference.

The therapeutic agents of these teeth whitening agents all contain fluoride which is effective in reducing caries. The potassium nitrate that is found in it helps in caring for dental hypersensitivity and triclosan or stannous fluoride works mainly in decreasing any gingival inflammation found in your teeth.

There are some additional ingredients that may be added to teeth whitening toothpastes so that it provides esthetic advantages. These ingredients include pyrophosphates or zinc citrate that stops the buildup of tartar and numerous abrasives and enzymes that are effective in helping in teeth whitening. However these ingredients don’t actually have any impact on the working of the toothpaste.

Via DramaticSmiles