Tooth Whitening a.k.a "BLEACHING"

This is my typical work day...

Me: "Hi, my name is Gabriella, I will be your dental hygienist today."
Patient: "You have beautiful teeth, how did you get them to be SO white?"

Cosmetic dentistry is a big business. Everyone wants a perfect white smile. Unfortunately (for my patients wanting an easy answer), my teeth have always been very white. I'm one of those people who aren't prone to staining. But I have tried different products. As a perk for being in the dentistry field, I get the newest products on the market for free to test out.

Stain can be intrinsic or extrinsic. An intrinsic stain forms during the development of the tooth. These types of stains can be caused by: antibiotics, fevers, accidental trauma, infection, overexposure to fluoride. Since these stains are part of the tooth structure, they are difficult to remove. Extrinsic stain is removable and usually caused by tobacco, coffee, tea, wine and food. These stains attatch to the tooth by means of plaque--so brush your teeth!

These are the products that I sampled and reviewed so far:

Sonicare toothbrush www.sonicare.com -GREAT GREAT GREAT! Electric toothbrushes are expensive but they do work. I can feel a difference when I use this toothbrush. It has a timer to let you know that you have spent enough time brushing. And because of the movement of the bristles, it is very effective in removing stain.

Crest Whitestrips www.whitestrips.com -You are supposed to use this product twice a day for 30 minutes. I get away with using them every other month for 30 minutes. Sometimes they can be annoying because the plastic strip can move around. If it moves over your gums, you can get lots of irritation. Also, the can cause tooth sensitivity. After one use, I am sensitive to cold for the rest of the day. After about 24 hours, the sensitivity is gone.

Crest Night Effects www.crestnighteffects.com -This is a brush on product that supposedly stays on while you sleep. It works fine, but if you have heavy stain, I wouldn't recommend it. It's hard to get your bottom teeth dry enough for the gel to stay. Also, the gel feels clumpy and uncomfortable.

Crest Dual Action Whitening Toothpaste -I love this stuff, it's the only kind I use.

Whitening gum -In my opinion, it doesn't work, you want the front of your teeth white. You don't chew with the front of your teeth.

For those of you with $350-600 to spend on white teeth, bleaching trays and power bleaching (bleaching using a blue light)works best. Dentists are able to make more of a guarantee on these methods. However if you have cavities, a dentist may not approve you for bleaching (it can cause pain and sensitivity). Another thing to keep in mind for those with white fillings, that material will not change color.