Today, everyone deserves to have a white, bright smile. Dingy, lackluster teeth can be a thing of the past for a majority of adults who have healthy gums and teeth. In fact, it is expected.
Many, many products out there on the web, on TV infomercials and in magazines spout how they can whitening your teeth effortlessly. But how do you choose a method that will give you satisfactory results and fits into your time schedule and lifestyle? Ah. That is a bit different.
First - What you should look for, especially if you have never had your teeth whitened, is a method that uses at least a formula of 25% hydrogen peroxide. That is the chemical known in clinical studies to safely but effectively lift out discolorations and stains from food and drink, even tobacco.
Second - It should provide whiteness but also be low in sensitivity. Hydrogen peroxide is safe, but it can leave teeth vulnerable to pain from hot and cold. It can also irritate gums. What could is it to whiten your teeth and have red, swollen gums?
Third - It should be long lasting, not something you have to order and do again next month, and the month after that, and after that. Some internet products want to rope you in by charging you monthly for kits.
Fourth - Hate to say it, but the best results are not 30-second whitening methods, or even 3-minute ones at home. The best are applied and monitored by a dentist. Only a dental team has the means, materials and expertise to protect your gums, monitor the effects, and ensure you a smile 7-8 shades whiter or more. In fact, they can legally use prescription strength gels that are much stronger than the OTC take home kits use. The ones with 25% or more in the formula.
Fifth - It has been clinically proven in University tests and in dental reviews that using a UV ray free but intense low-arc lamp increases the whitening power of the hydrogen peroxide gel. Unlike the lasers and lamps of the last generation where special sunscreens and face masks had to be used, today's lamps like the Zoom! Advanced Lamp deliver a powerful yet safe beam of light directly on the teeth with the whitening gel. The light activates the gel and helps it penetrate deep into the enamel where the stains are the hardest to clean.
Why use one size fits all trays that never fit snugly, or strips that are hard to adhere and are awkward to wear? Toothpastes with 1-2% hydrogen peroxide are fine for follow up to keep the teeth form re-staining as badly, but they won't get your teeth 8xs whiter. Besides, these over the counter, retail or web sold methods will only take care of the surface stains, not the deep down ones.
For a real clean, a deep down stain free smile, you need to make an appointment with a dentist. And the brand that many dentist use, the one that is clinically proven and used by famous cosmetic dentists for shows like ABC's Extreme Makeover is Zoom! Chairside Whitening System. In under an hour, painlessly and monitored by professional, you too can get that white, sexy clean smile.
Your teeth are worth it. You are worth it.