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How to Whiten Your Teeth in a Safe and Effective Way

By Tiffany Moore

Yellow or discolored teeth is a common problem that many people face. There are many causes of discolored teeth such as coffee, tea or wine drinking, lack of calcium, smoking, age, medication and so on.

Whatever your case, a big bright smile is definitely more appealing than stained or yellow teeth that make you self-conscious. If you have discolored teeth, there are basically two ways of getting whiter teeth – professional teeth whitening done in a dentist’s office, and a do-it-yourself home treatment method.

What Can I Do to Whiten My Teeth Fast?

Over the last decades, the field of teeth whitening has changed greatly. Dental technology has undergone immense improvements and many teeth whitening products are also available on the market now.

It's no secret that the safest and quickest way to whiten your teeth is to visit a dentist. However, it is important to know how your dentist plans to whiten your discolored teeth, and how much the teeth whitening will cost.

When you go to the dentist to whiten your teeth, he will make molds of your teeth and send them off to a lab. Within a week or two, your custom fitted plastic teeth whitening molds would arrive.

Then you would spend about 1 or 2 hours in the dentist’s chair with this mouthpiece, filled with a very low concentration of peroxide, pressing against your gums and teeth. After 3 to 4 dental visits and about $1000 poorer, you should get reasonably white teeth.

Another popular and quicker teeth whitening procedure which dentists commonly use is laser bleaching. For laser bleaching, a concentrated peroxide gel is applied to the teeth. Then a special light (usually argon) is aimed at the teeth whitening paste which causes a chemical reaction to occur with the peroxide, and the teeth are whitened in the shortest time possible, about 1 hour. Like the former teeth whitening procedure, laser bleaching is expensive.

If you do not want to spend too much on getting whiter teeth, there are ways to white teeth at home. One of the most common types of home teeth whitening procedures is to use store bought whitening strips. Teeth whitening strips are very thin, virtually invisible adhesive strips you place over the teeth and leave on for up to 30 minutes a day. They are easy to apply and require little or no preparation.

A very affordable and effective teeth whitening method at home is to use the bleaching gels. Most teeth whitening gels are about the same but be very careful as to which gel to purchase and how you use the gel.

When choosing teeth whitening gels, pay special attention to the percentage marked on the tube. An optimal percentage is 16 percent. While 10 percent bleach usually takes more time to whiten teeth, 20 percent or higher is too strong and can cause tooth sensitivity.

It is also important to make sure your teeth whitening trays are form fitted to your teeth and are cut around the tooth line so no part of the tray extends onto the gums. Even the mildest bleach can irritate your gums if left on long enough.

Although there is nothing dangerous about glycerin, when mixed with carbamide peroxide, it is used to draw water out of the enamel in order to speed up the whitening process and can cause sensitive teeth. So, look for teeth whitening products that do not use a glycerin base.

Alternatively, you might want to try this old-fashioned home recipe for whiter teeth – make a paste consisting of 2 teaspoons baking soda, 3 teaspoons hydrogen peroxide, ½ teaspoon table salt and a dab of toothpaste.

It's cheap, safe and effective way to make your teeth white over time but be warned, it has an unpleasant taste.

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