Local Dental Care - Brite Smile Toothpaste

Carbamide Peroxide for Teeth Whitening

Teeth bleaching is a way of chemically lightening the color of your teeth. The most common tooth bleaching agent used to whiten teeth is peroxide. Yes, that's the same thing "bottle blondes" use to bleach their hair! But peroxide comes in different chemical forms, and you can bet the kind you put on your teeth isn't quite the same as the kind you might use to lighten your hair.

Carbamide peroxide is the teeth whitening agent used in most commercial teeth whitener products. Laser teeth whitening at the dentist's office, on the other hand, uses the stronger teeth whitening agent, hydrogen peroxide. By law, dentists can use and prescribe more concentrated teeth bleaching agents than can be used in over-the-counter teeth whiteners.

While professional teeth whitening is the fastest route to white teeth, it's also more expensive than using the carbamide peroxide whiteners that are available at grocery stores and pharmacies. Since these products have lower levels of peroxide in them, it takes longer to bleach teeth effectively. However, carbamide peroxide is safer for you to use at home. It's just not safe to use a stronger bleaching agent without a dentist's supervision; you could inadvertently damage your teeth or gums.

Lots of tooth whiteners contain carbamide peroxide. Whitening toothpaste and whitening strips are some of the most popular options, but they're not the only ones. You can get a bleaching paste that you wear in bleaching trays over your teeth. You can get bleaching gel that you paint onto your teeth. Or you can go to your dentist for instant whitening -- it all depends on how fast you want a new bright smile!

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

Best Teeth Whitening Methods for the Most Dramatic Results

Teeth whiteners are available everywhere these days: at the grocery store, the drug store, the beauty counter, even at mall kiosks. But if you want really white teeth, you need to know that not all teeth whitening products are the same.

Whitening toothpaste will brighten your smile a little bit. Whitening strips might lighten your teeth a little bit more. But they will never whiten teeth as quickly and effectively as professional teeth whitening.

The best teeth whitening products are only available to licensed dentists. Since it's possible to over-bleach teeth or irritate gums, only professionals can legally use the strongest tooth whiteners that contain relatively high levels of hydrogen peroxide. This sort of teeth whitener can whiten teeth by several shades in just one appointment.

Laser teeth whitening goes even one step further. In this method, laser light speeds the teeth bleaching process. The Zoom Chairside Whitening System is an example of this sort of instant whitening, but there are other systems that use lasers to activate the tooth bleaching agent.

If you have very badly stained teeth, it might take multiple tooth whitening sessions to give you your whitest smile. While most tooth whitening can lighten yellow teeth that have been stained by coffee, tea, or smoking, some stains are harder to remove. For example, some medications can cause stains deep within teeth that even the best teeth whitener cannot remove. Patients with intrinsic stains like that may opt for teeth veneers instead, since dental veneers let you make your teeth as white as you want.

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.