Cosmetic Dentistry Tips to Keep Your Smile Bright

Cosmetic Dentistry Tips to Keep Your Smile Bright

May 02, 2019

Yellow teeth often make people shy away from smiling or laughing in public but little intervention with some cosmetic dentistry is all it takes to get the teeth sparkling little brighter. While the dental professional will have access to high-grade teeth whiteners, it’s possible to work on whitening teeth at home using over-the-counter methods and good oral hygiene techniques, says dentist Langley.

Types of Tooth Staining and Treatment Options

Your teeth tend to get discolored over the period of time for several reasons including age and exposure to various chemicals in food and drinks. Different type of stains may require different cosmetic dentistry services to effectively brighten a smile. According to dentist in Langley, there are two main types of tooth stains.

Extrinsic

The Extrinsic stains are the ones that are on the outside of the tooth and caused by having foods with high pigmentation. In addition to that, dark sodas, tea, and coffee, or tobacco can also increase the risk of extrinsic tooth discoloration.

Intrinsic

Intrinsic staining occurs under the tooth enamel. As a person ages, the enamel slowly thins and teeth may look yellower as the dentin under the enamel is yellow in color. However, the color occurs with long term use of certain medications especially antibiotics. These stains respond well to cosmetic procedures such as bleaching, says dentist near Langley NC.

Whitening Options that Work

  • Visiting the dentist can help as they have access to professional-grade whitening solutions. Many of these involve using trays with bleaching agents on teeth during a visit.
  • Whitening strips are available OTC at many stores and they need to be applied once or twice a day for 15 to 30 minutes for at least a week or two.
  • Whitening gels are applied to teeth with a brush and are available OTC at many stores. Like strips, the gel may be applied once or two times a day.

About Natural Remedies

There are many natural remedies such as using citrus fruits or charcoal to whiten the teeth. But these will not offer significant result like professional teeth whitening.