A smile is worth a thousand words and white teeth are one of the key factors for a beautiful smile.
A bright and happy smile brings confidence and attractiveness. Luckily, there are numerous ways of obtaining them with teeth whitening. Nowadays, one of the most popular treatments for achieving white teeth is laser teeth whitening. We want to clear up some things about this process and to prepare you before you go to your dentist.
Laser teeth whitening is one of the very few effective ways to lighten your teeth and make them shiny and bright as never before. It is a process of bleaching teeth using hydrogen peroxide bleaching gel which is being heated with a laser, which is why the procedure should be completed in an authorized dental office.
Tooth discoloration is a rather common issue that many of us struggle with. The main causes are often our bad habits such as smoking. Certain kinds of food and drinks like coffee, tea, or red wine could also be the reason for making your teeth discolored. An additional reason for tooth discoloration is the natural process of aging. Regarding this issue, mouth injuries, using certain medications or chemotherapy could also lead to discolored teeth as well as dental fluorosis.
When the laser whitening procedure is concerned, it consists of several steps. First of all, a rubber guard will be put in your mouth to keep them wide open, additionally, a gum barrier will be placed in order to protect your gums. Another way of protecting your gums is by applying a protective layer over them. After that, it is time to put a whitening hydrogen peroxide gel on your teeth. A few minutes later, the dentist will use a laser in order to activate the gel. It will be heated by laser which means the process of whitening is active. You should not worry when the gel starts foaming. After a couple of minutes, the dentist will remove the gel from your teeth. This procedure might be repeated three or four times and it will depend on what the desired shade of your teeth is. It is good to know that each tooth is treated separately with the laser. In the end, a rubber guard and the gum barrier will be removed. The procedure is completely painless.
After this procedure of laser whitening, only clear liquids should be used for drinking for the next two hours at least. Regarding the next 24 hours, you should try to avoid eating food with dark pigment and drinking tea or coffee. In the two or three days after the process, hot and cold food and drink are also not recommended. It is the same case when we are talking about smoking cigarettes.
There are many advantages to this procedure and one of the most important ones is that results are visible just after one session. Everything is done in the dental office by trained professionals. The risk of complications is very small because this procedure is safe and it can cause just some minor side effects (increased tooth sensitivity and gum irritation or damage).
One of the drawbacks of this treatment is its cost. It is a bit expensive, and you might need a few sessions to achieve the desired effect. Additionally, the effects of laser whitening usually should last up to three years but this also depends on the eating and drinking habits of individuals.
There are other options to consider if you want to get a bright smile. Some of them are less invasive, and some are cheaper but it is up to you to decide. Nevertheless, it is good to know that before every action you should consult your dentist and consider what might be the best option.
For example, teeth whitening can be done in home conditions with products from markets and pharmacies such as strips, pastes, or gels. On the other hand, there are some other procedures done at the dental office which could last longer than home-whitening kits which are certainly cheaper than laser whitening. Zoom whitening is a treatment that is very similar to laser teeth whitening but there are some minor differences.
The Zoom whitening procedure is very similar to laser teeth whitening. It is done by a professionally trained dentist. Before the process, gums, and lips are protected, and after that, the Zoom gel is applied to your teeth. This gel stays there for 15 minutes, and during that time, the Zoom lamp is activated. It causes a chemical reaction, and all the teeth are being treated at the same time, which is the main difference from laser teeth whitening where each tooth is treated separately by a laser. The benefit of the Zoom whitening procedure is less heat exposure to your teeth and the results are achieved more quickly than using laser whitening.
