Whitening procedures can effectively restored the smile of people with stained, dull, or discolored teeth.
The darker tissue of your teeth, the dentin, can become exposed as the outer layer of enamel is worn away by the effects of aging.
Also, food particles are naturally attracted to a tooth's enamel by a certain protein. Products like coffee and tea, berries and soy sauce are notorious for staining teeth. Over time, teeth actually become more absorbent and vulnerable to staining from food and other substances.
One type of internal stain-caused can be by traumatic injuries, medications and fluorosis affect internal stain; brushing and flossing don't help. Another type of internal stain-one that can be more easily attached by brushing, flossing and rinsing-is caused by extrinsic factors such as foods.
More and more people today are choosing tooth-whitening procedures to reverse the effects of aging and staining from foods and tobacco.
Some commercially available "whitening toothpastes" can be somewhat effective at removing stains. However, many of these products have abrasive substances that can actually wear away your tooth's enamel.
Bleaching agents actually change the color of your teeth, but only are effective on certain types of stains. For example, bleaching agents have a difficult time removing brownish or grayish stains. These products also are not as effective on pitted or badly discolored teeth, or on restorations such as crowns, bridges, bonding and tooth-colored fillings.
Over-the-counter whitening systems are somewhat effective as long as they are monitored and directions followed closely.
