If you want white teeth, dentists have tried-and-true methods. Even the whitening lights that we use in the dental office are no more effective than other ways of whitening teeth. There are some products that use a light that we flash on our teeth to accelerate whitening. For instance, a mouthwash containing a whitening agent such as hydrogen peroxide probably is not going to be very effective. But because it’s not dentist-monitored, many of them don’t do anything. Then, over-the-counter whitening agents can work effectively. So we have to start with teeth, gums, a patient who is healthy. The teeth have to be in a healthy condition if a patient hasn’t been to the dentist for a while and if there are any cavities or decay going on and the whitening material gets within that cavity, it can cause excruciating pain. If we’re not taking care of our teeth, we’re not going to get a very effective whitening from any type of product. We also have patients who just don’t take good care of their teeth.īleach will not work with a stain from major deposits caused because a patient has not brushed their teeth. Then there’s extrinsic color due to deposits on the teeth from smoking or coffee or other materials or due to medication taken by the patient-or by the mother when the patient was in utero. There are two types of discoloration: intrinsic, the one that develops with time and is the natural color. Whatever the cause, are over-the-counter products effective? There’s a whole spectrum of what is normal. Our hair turns white, and our teeth turn yellow. For most older people, their teeth will turn kind of a brownish yellow-not necessarily from smoking, from coffee, or wine. BU Today: To what degree is losing that pearly white shine unavoidable and natural?Ĭataldo: Almost universally, teeth will get darker with age. BU Today asked him sink his teeth into the topic. The government doesn’t regulate whiteners, warns Cataldo, and “many of them are ineffective.” On the other hand, some do work. Goldman School of Dental Medicine professor of general dentistry. Certain medications, notably tetracycline, also discolor teeth, says Gennaro Cataldo, a Henry M. Americans reportedly drop $1.4 billion annually on nonprescription teeth whitening products to bleach away the effects of cigarettes, coffee, red wine, or just plain age.
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