Teeth Whitening and Science - What You Should Know

Modern teeth whitening products are incredibly effective and they have to be.  Today, we have access to many different types of foods and tend to consume large quantities of things that can and often will influence the color of your teeth. From people who like to eat healthily and eat large quantities of berries to folks who like to drink that first perfect cup of coffee the morning, it is incredibly common and easy to stain teeth.

Over 68% of people who drink coffee in America claim to need to drink at least one cup within the first hour of waking up. This makes many of us feel “awake and normal”. Naturally this means that your coffee drinking is taking place shortly before or shortly after your morning oral hygiene routine. Coffee is rich in chromogens, which stain and discolor teeth so the fact that 54% of the adult population of the United States will partake in at least one cup every day, bought from one of the over 53 thousand coffee shops dotting the country, means that there is a tremendous risk for most people of ruining their perfectly white teeth. Access to inexpensive and effective teeth whitening has improved because of the demand for such services, possibly due to the proliferation of a laundry list of food and drinks that stain teeth.

The process of teeth whitening is a chemical process that depends heavily on the interaction and reaction between the whitening gel we use and the natural organic chemical composition of your mouth. The composition of your teeth's organic makeup creates a surface that reflects natural light. All substances do this, reflecting the light at a certain degree which makes the brain see them as a specific color. With teeth, the more colorless the teeth are, the brighter white they appear to the brain. We use a peroxide based formula to achieve this. The peroxide is designed to penetrate quickly below the surface of the enamel, essentially working from the inside out. There it releases free radicals which make the tooth go more colorless, thereby achieving the goal of whiter teeth. Stains and discoloration distort the way the light is reflected and are chemically removed during the teeth whitening process through oxidization. There are two basic types of whitening agents available, one over the counter, and the other you can only find in a dentist office.

The solutions you can buy over the counter are based on hydrogen peroxide, which is considered more stable for a longer shelf life. These formulas have between 3% and 20% hydrogen peroxide. The formulas that we use for teeth whitening is based on carbamide peroxide, and the strengths vary between 15% and 43%. Carbamide also contains 35% hydrogen peroxide, so you are getting more hydrogen peroxide in our solution as well. This means that the results will be more dramatic when you have your teeth whitened with us.  In either case, it is advisable to consult with a dentist before whitening your teeth, in the event that there are some underlying challenges with your teeth that should be addressed before teeth whitening begins.

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