NEW ARTICLES  HOT ARTICLES  TOP RATED  ADD AN ARTICLE  UPDATE AN ARTICLE  GET RATED 
  HOME     MY ACCOUNT     POWER SEARCH     REGISTER     SUPPORT     SUGGEST CATEGORY  

Teeth Whitening
6217 Health & Fitness > Dental Mar 1, 2007 Heather Colman Teeth Whitening So what is Teeth Whitening really all about? The following report includes some fascinating information about Teeth Whitening--info you can use.

Tooth bleaching, also known as tooth whitening, is a common procedure in general dentistry but most especially in the field of cosmetic dentistry. Many people consider white teeth to be an attractive feature of a smile. A child's deciduous teeth are generally whiter than the adult teeth that follow. As a person ages the adult teeth often increase in value--that is to say, they become darker. This darkening is due to changes in the mineral structure of the tooth, as the enamel becomes less porous. Teeth can also become stained by bacterial pigments, foodstuffs and tobacco.

As white teeth are subconsciously associated with youth, they have become desirable. This has been made more apparent with the spread of American culture worldwide, where an especially white smile is coined a "Hollywood smile." The procedure to bleach teeth uses oxidising agents such as hydrogen peroxide to lighten the shade of the tooth. The oxidising agent penetrates the porosities in the rod-like crystal structure of enamel and oxidises interprismatic stain deposits; over a period of time, the dentine layer, lying underneath the enamel, is also bleached.

There are two main methods of bleaching. The first involves applying a high concentration of oxidising agent for a short period of time, which is the so-called office bleach. This produces quick results but risks chemical burns to the soft tissues. Therefore, most in-office bleaching procedures use a light-cured protective layer that is carefully painted on the gums and papilla (the tips of the gums between the teeth). The bleaching agent is either carbamide peroxide, which breaks down in the mouth to form hydrogen peroxide, or hydrogen peroxide itself. The bleaching gel typically contains up to 35% hydrogen peroxide equivalent.

The alternative method involves using a thin mouthguard or strip to hold a low concentration of oxidising agent next to the teeth for as long as several hours a day for a period of 5 to 14 days. This is known as take-home or over-the-counter bleaching. This is a slower process but has fewer risks to the soft tissues. The bleaching agent is typically less than 10% hydrogen peroxide equivalent.

A typical course of bleaching can produce dramatic improvements in the cosmetic appearance of most stained teeth; however, some stains do not respond to bleaching. Tetracycline staining may require prolonged bleaching, as it takes longer for the bleach to reach the dentine layer. White-spot decalcifications may also be highlighted and become more noticeable.

Recently, efforts have been made to accelerate the bleaching process by the use of light. Studies have shown varying results as to the efficacy of light-activated bleaching.

Side effects of tooth bleaching include chemical burns (if a high-concentration oxidizing agent contacts unprotected tissues, which may bleach or discolor mucous membranes), sensitive teeth, and overbleaching (known in the profession as "fridge-door teeth"). Rebound, or teeth losing the bleached effect and darkening, is also an issue, with some studies showing the rebound effect over 30 days. A recent study by Kugel et al has shown that as much as 4 shades of lightness can be lost over 30 days with light-activated/office bleaching.

Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com

This article is Copyright ? 2006, Heather Colman. Permission is granted to reprint this article as long as no changes are made, and this entire resource box is included. Find more teeth whitening resources at ebookpalace.com


Write a Review   Add to My Favorite   Refer it to Friend   Report Article  

Average Visitor Rating: 0.00 (out of 5)
Number of ratings: 0 Votes

Visitor Rating


Other links owned by this user
So what is Teeth Whitening really all about? The following report includes some fascinating information about Teeth Whitening--info you can use. Tooth bleaching, also known as tooth whitening, is a common procedure in general dentistry but
Category:

Medications The classical use of medications for alcoholism is to encourage abstinence. Antabuse (also known as disulfiram), for instance, vents the elimination of chemicals which cause severe discomfort when alcohol is ingested, effectively
Category:

Coffee is a beverage, served hot or with ice, with or without cream and sugar, prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant. These seeds are almost always called the coffee bean. Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in adults
Category:

Alcoholism is a powerful craving for alcohol which often results in the compulsive consumption of alcohol. The cause of this craving is heavily debated, but the most popular beliefs are that it is a chemical or nutrional imbalance, a genetic
Category:

What IS Carpal Tunnel? In the human wrist there is a sheath of tough connective tissue which surrounds and protects the median nerve and tendons that attach muscles to the wrist and hand bones. The Carpal Tunnel is the space above ane below
Category:

Yoga practitioners are probably familiar with the phrase Namaste, which is used to greet fellow practitioners at the end of every yoga session. When the phrase is accompanied with hands pressed together, prayer-like, and a small bow, it is an Indian
Category:

If you have a connection to the Internet and a computer you can easily find cheap auto insurance. With more and more businesses turning to the Internet to service their customers and increase sales, it's no wonder you see an insurance man on every
Category:

How ca I tell if I have sleep apea ad how ca I treat it? Diagosis The typical patiet with sleep apea is a overweight middle-aged male with a eck size of more tha 17 iches. However, the coditio is also commo i wome ad
Category:

Few drug-based treatments of obstructive sleep are known despite over two decades of research and tests. Oral administration of the methylxanthine theophylline (chemically similar to caffeine) can reduce the number of episodes of
Category:

Sleep apnea, also referred to as sleep apnoea, is a common sleep disorder. It's characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. These episodes, called apneas, last 10 seconds or more and occur repeatedly throughout the night. People
Category:

Current info about Annulment is not always the easiest thing to locate. Fortunately, this report includes the latest Annulment info available. Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. Annulment differs from
Category:

Other links at Health & Fitness > Dental
The pathophysiology of dental pain is a complex central and peripheral nervous system process, and the use of combination analgesics that act at multiple pain sites can improve dental pain relief. In general, for the treatment of mild to moderate dental
Category:

There?s no doubt that a brilliant white smile adds a lot to the way you look and as you age your teeth can lose a bit of their brilliance. Stains from coffee, cigarettes and simply aging can turn your teeth several shades off from what they once were.
Category:

Teeth Whitening: The process wherein the color of the teeth is lightened is called as oth whitening. There are various reasons for teeth getting discolored. The main causes are stains of tea, bacco, coffee, antibiotics etc. These can be removed by
Category:

There are basically four levels of sedation dentistry. Light sedation is usually performed using nitrous oxide/oxygen mixture (laughing gas). This is a gas that you breathe through a nosepiece d is used with local esthetic. This is used to reduce
Category:

A bright light is shining in your face and you have your mouth hanging open for a virtual stranger while the said stranger is probing your teeth. This stranger is your dentist and for those unfortunate souls who like having their own personal space,
Category:




Site Sponsor
Directory Statistics

Articles: 68205
Categories: 501

Yahoo Entertainment
Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional   Valid CSS