Home Teeth Whitening - Understanding the stains
There are many products to choose from when you are looking for home teeth whitening products and it’s no wonder that people get confused in trying to figure out which one they should try. The first and most important thing to understand when researching home teeth whitening products is to understand how the stains got there in the first place.
Home teeth whitening is a process where you remove stains from each tooth. There are usually two different types of stains that people have. These are internal stains and external stains. External stains are caused from everyday things such as stains from food and beverages and other things that come in contact with each tooth. Usually foods that have a high pigment in them are the biggest culprits such as berries, coffee, tea and red wine. Also, it’s not uncommon for smokers to be looking for home teeth whitening products as smoking is a big cause of external staining. If used over a long period of time, all of these things can cause each tooth to yellow significantly and become discolored.
For someone looking at home teeth whitening products for internal stains, this is usually caused when each tooth is damaged, usually during the time that enamel is forming. Sometimes, people are looking for home teeth whitening products because they are on certain medications such as tetracycline, minocycline and doxycline. It is this very reason that pregnant women or young children should not be given these medications. Internal stains are also caused by large consumptions of fluoride during the period in which enamel is forming. This not only stains each tooth but can also possibly result in the death of the tooth’s nerve, which can cause the tooth to turn black, grey or brown in color.
If you are looking for home teeth whitening products, you first need to understand how each tooth was stained in order to whiten them. Most stains that are external which are caused from foods or tobacco can be removed by simply visiting your dentist and having a professional cleaning. Also, they can be prevented by using toothpastes which will help keep each tooth white inbetween cleanings.
Once you understand how the stains got on each tooth, you can then choose the home teeth whitening product that is going to work best for you. You have the option of choosing a toothpaste that whitens, or even a gel or strips that help whiten. There are also tray bleaching kits that you can buy over the counter. Keep in mind though, that the less money you pay for your home teeth whitening dental products, the less effective they are going to be.