How to get whiter teeth

Everyone looks better with whiter teeth!

Many people seek whiter teeth, and as such, there are a number of ways tooth whitening can be achieved.

Tooth whitening can help you to show off your smile and personality and therefore improves your confidence. To many, it shows that you have a good and healthy lifestyle. More importantly, tooth whitening can make YOU feel great!

Statistics

The American Academy of General Dentistry reports that 40% of people notice your teeth first. Furthermore, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry reported that 96% of adults believe an attractive smile makes a person more appealing to the opposite gender. Also, 74% of adults feel an unattractive smile can hurt a person’s chances for career success. These are quite amazing statistics.

Benefits

How many of us spend a fortune on our hair and general appearance, but don’t do anything about getting whiter teeth? Its clear that having a clean, straight smile that you feel confident about enhances your social and career opportunities. Most importantly, your self-confidence increases.

Having a clean white smile makes us more approachable, and more appealing to others. Therefore, at Rock House Dental Practice, enquiries for straight white teeth are amongst the most common that we receive.

So how is tooth whitening achieved?

If you are anything like me, the first thing you will do is search the internet for advice and help. Searching on the internet can be confusing, there are so many different ways of whitening your teeth, so many recommendations. Some are true, and some, unfortunately, have no evidence to back them up.

When you search the internet, you will see lots of different products recommended – max white, turbo white, pearly white, Zoom, Enlighten and lots of different strengths and percentages. Hence, it’s so confusing, and difficult to know what is safe to use.

Some initial tips.

Firstly, cut back on things like smoking, drinking coffee and other things that tend to stain your teeth. Secondly, make sure you clean your teeth correctly. Thirdly, visit your dentist to ask how to get whiter teeth.

There are many tips and techniques on the internet. Consequently, I have seen recommendations for:

• Activated charcoal
• Baking Soda & Hydrogen Peroxide Paste
• Coconut Oil Pulling
• Turmeric
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Strawberry Salt and Baking Soda
• Fruit Rinds

Whilst some of these products may improve the colour of your teeth for the short term, I cannot find any scientific evidence that supports their use. More worryingly, the type of tooth whitening provided by these techniques is not controlled and may result in damaging long-term effects.

Tooth whitening pastes do not affect the natural colour of your teeth, used correctly, they can remove some stains, and help at maintaining the colour of your teeth post professional whitening. But be wary of abrasive smokers toothpaste as they can damage your teeth with long-term use.

In conclusion, always ask your dental professional first!

How to get whiter teeth

Getting whiter teeth is simple, but the first step is to go and see a dentist for advice. A recently passed European directive made it law that only qualified dental professions can legally whiten your teeth. Anyone else providing tooth whitening is doing it illegally.

It is likely that they won’t be insured and they will not have the same rigorous standards of hygiene that your dental practice has. Most importantly, using the wrong products are dangerous as they are more likely to cause teeth sensitive and chemical burns.

Over the counter kits that contain or release up to 0.1% peroxide do nothing. Some other kits contain harmful abrasives or acids that will irreversibly damage your enamel!

Contact us to get whiter teeth

Here at Rock House Dental Practice in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, we provide many legal and safe ways of whitening your teeth. Contact us for more information.

If you are interested in finding out more please visit our tooth whitening information page. Call us on 01902 751 618 or email us directly.