The number of Americans on a quest for whiter teeth has skyrocketed over the last few years. A recent survey found that 80 percent of adults aged 18 to 49 said that they would like to have whiter, bright teeth. Over the past five years, the demand for tooth bleaching has increased by more than 300 percent. New technology is being perfected to meet that demand.

In the past, tooth-whitening products consisted of mild abrasives and detergents that were designed to scour the teeth and remove stains from the surface. Today, professional whitening techniques go to work on the tooth structure itself, using peroxide to oxidize and decolorize gray and yellow tooth pigments.

The oldest method of tooth lightening at home is the "nightguard" technique. A custom-fitted plastic mold is filled with a peroxide solution that stays on the teeth overnight. Results are often mixed. Some teeth that are gray or grayish brown do not lighten as well as those that are yellow or yellowish brown. Stains caused by tobacco smoke, coffee, and red wine also require more time to lighten. The effects are always temporary.

At the dentist's office, a single treatment with a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide, coupled with a special light or laser, offers accelerated tooth whitening.  The two main options for this type of whitening are BriteSmile and Zoom!.  Both are very similar in that they both utilize a light to activate the whitening bleach and are completed in about an hour.

Consumers should note that whitening techniques do not change the color of crowns, caps, or fillings. If these dental restorations are visible, the teeth will appear two-tone.

Call us Today about brightening your smile!

Healthy Tips

  

To add strength to leg muscles and get a cardiovascular workout at the same time, try climbing plain old stairs. This can be done at home, in your office, apartment building, or on stair-climbing machines in the gym. Climbing two steps at a time is good for building the quadriceps (thigh muscles) and the gluteus (butt). Going down steps builds strength in the quadriceps and to a lesser extent, the hamstrings.