In a bid to brighten up their teeth (and their smile), many people are opting for a whitening toothpaste. However, it is important to ask: how effective are these kinds of toothpastes? Can they really make your teeth whiter within a short period? Are they even safe? Find out below:
- Whitening toothpaste is quite effective at cleaning the surface of the teeth and removing coffee, cigarette, and soda stains. It may take up to 6 weeks before the stains are completely removed, though.
- If the stains run deep and have gone beyond the teeth’s surface, whitening toothpaste cannot be used to remove them.
- There is a type of whitening toothpaste that contains a chemical called blue covarine, and it provides a somewhat optical illusion. When you use this toothpaste, it reduces the yellowish appearance of your teeth, making it seem whiter. However, the results are not long-lasting when compared to that from other teeth whitening methods.
- Whitening toothpastes carry some risks. Users have complained of mild irritation of the gums and other parts of the mouth; there have also been some complaints about increased tooth sensitivity while using a whitening toothpaste.
- Whitening toothpastes use a lot of abrasives to clean stains from the teeth surface. However, some of these abrasives also remove part of the enamel, the protective layer of the tooth. If your enamel wears off, you expose the inner layer of your teeth, the dentin, to bacteria.
- Since the dentin is somewhat discolored, the more your enamel wears away, the darker your teeth look.
While whitening toothpastes have been proven to work for some, it doesn’t work as well for many others. For a safe, long-lasting cleaning with immediate visible results, talk to your dentist. Residents of Texas can visit Smile Artisans for their teeth whitening procedures; call 832-220-6087 to make an appointment.