According to dental experts, teeth whitening is gaining in popularity because people realise that they look a lot nicer with teeth that are white, as against stained or yellowish teeth.  We all want to look attractive and having whiter teeth is one way to do it. However, it is a good idea to find out all you can about your teeth and the methods of whitening that are on the market.

Without this information, you can actually damage your teeth and gums quite badly without even improving the colour.

• Firstly, there are two kinds of discoloration in teeth. Natural aging which is where the dentin – not the enamel – goes darker. Since the body renews itself in many ways as we age, so new dentin forms, but it is darker than the previous dentin and makes the teeth look more yellow because the enamel is thinner than it used to be and the colour of the dentin can be seen through it.
• Most people don’t realise the products containing bleach or peroxide used to whiten the teeth work on the dentin, not the enamel. The product soaks in through the enamel to cause a whitening effect that shines out through the enamel. This is referred to as intrinsic discolouration and whitening. Dentin cannot be whitened through using whitening toothpaste or by the cleaning of a dental hygienist.

(more…)