Myths About Teeth Whitening
The Perfect Smile
Who is your style icon? Most people can rattle off the names of a few celebrities who’s “look” they like, and try to emulate. From clothes, to makeup and hair, people use celebrities as their model for what is “attractive”. However, few people ever notice that the one thing most fashion mavens and ‘A’ list celeb’s have in common … A flawless smile. That is because our stars of stage and screen know that having pearly white teeth speaks volumes about your health and personality.
A glistening grin makes a celebrity approachable (yet sexy) from the moment they step onto the red carpet … You deserve to have the same ability in your everyday life – even if you don’t have the budget of a glitzy Hollywood star.
In fact, just making your teeth a couple of shades brighter makes a huge difference. That is the reason why you can now find hundreds of options for “at home teeth whitening” kits at your local grocery store.
Because of all of the choices that are available to you, we wanted to clear-up a few myths surrounding cosmetic dentistry’s most popular treatment, teeth whitening …
1) DIY Teeth Whitening Kits are a low-cost, high-quality, option
Although most at-home teeth whitening kits boast about their low prices (compared to in-office treatments), many DIY options end up costing you more money in the end because their effects do not last long. Also, many at-home treatments utilize harmful abrasives in their formulas to scrub away stains. This wears at the tooth’s enamel, which will increase your sensitivity and make you more prone to staining later on.
2) Teeth whitening hurts sensitive teeth
This one is ½ true … Many at-home kits will aggravate sensitive teeth. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case with treatments provided by a qualified dentist. With a seemingly inexhaustible amount of whitening options at their disposal, your doctor can work with you to find a solution that works – regardless how sensitive your teeth are.
Also, many of these options are extremely simple. For example, your doctor may simply recommend a toothpaste that is engineered with oral sensitivity in mind (like Sensodyne) to prepare your teeth for the whitening treatment.
3) Whitening treatments strip teeth of their enamel
Although at-home options may include abrasive ingredients that can do lasting damage to your enamel, in-office teeth whitening treatments are designed with your oral health in mind.
Instead of using a formula designed to chemically strip your teeth of stains, in-office whitening treatments operate by opening up the teeth’s microscopic pores. This allows their low-impact cleaning/whitening solutions to whiten the tooth from the inside-out, without affecting the enamel.
4) Laser tooth whitening is unsafe
The “laser” used by your doctor is actually a fancy LED or UV light – which is used to trigger the whitening compounds and allows for deeper penetration of cleaning solutions. Despite being called a laser, the light emitted during your whitening treatment is completely safe.
5) Teeth whitening will make your teeth look fake
We constantly hear jokes about teeth glowing in the dark after a whitening, like Ross’s smile from Friends. Let us assure you that after your treatment, your teeth will continue to look as natural as ever … Just a little whiter. If you are concerned about the final shade that your smile will have, ask your doctor if they have any color samples that you can compare before the procedure.
6) Whitening lasts forever.
Much like getting you hair dyed, teeth whitening does require some maintenance. Realistically, you should be going back to your dentists for a “touch-up” every 3 to 6 months in order to keep up your new glow. However, in many cases a single in-office whitening treatment will have a maximum lifespan of up to 2 years.