Stains and other discoloration on your smile can make you feel unhappy about how your teeth appear. If you strive for a pearly white smile, you might seek over-the-counter products that promise to whiten your teeth. But will whitening toothpaste, for instance, really give you the bright smile of your dreams?
You can employ whitening toothpaste to both clean your smile and enhance your tooth color. But you should know how this product works before you introduce it to your oral hygiene regimen. Read on to learn more about how whitening toothpaste can provide cosmetic dental benefits when used as directed.
How Does Traditional Toothpaste Work?
You apply toothpaste to a toothbrush and use these two items together to scrub at your teeth to keep them clean at least twice a day. This oral hygiene routine, along with flossing, removes plaque and other residues that accrue on your teeth throughout the day. If they linger on your smile, they can cause serious damage to your oral health.
Traditional toothpaste contains abrasive ingredients that improve the scrubbing ability of your brush so that you can more easily get rid of plaque. This process allows you to remove surface stains as well. But this product cannot reach discoloration that can form deeper in your tooth enamel.
Will Whitening Toothpaste Give Me a Brighter Smile?
If you want to brighten your tooth color, special whitening toothpaste can help you accomplish this goal. This product contains the same ingredients as regular toothpaste plus hydrogen peroxide, a bleaching agent. This penetrates deeper into the tooth enamel to reach stains in the teeth and lift them to the surface.
Then you can easily brush away these stains, leaving behind a whiter smile. This will not address all types of dental stains, but many people can see their smile several shades brighter. Make sure you pay attention to your oral habits, including your diet, to avoid staining your teeth again.
Choose a brand of whitening toothpaste that includes the ADA seal on the label. This way, you know the product is guaranteed to work as advertised. Use it as instructed for optimal results.
What Other Ways Can I Whiten My Teeth?
While whitening toothpaste can enhance your tooth color, this product alone will not always offer ideal results. Treatment from your cosmetic dentist can provide whitening solutions that suit your unique smile.
For instance, professional teeth whitening involves a dentist applying a bleaching gel on the teeth for an even, beautiful finish that will look natural too. You can see minimized side effects as well as a gorgeous final look.
However, not all tooth discoloration responds to this type of treatment. Your dentist might suggest teeth bonding or porcelain veneers to enhance your tooth color too. Both of these products involve applying resin or custom-made caps, respectively, to the teeth.
They cover dental stains to make the teeth look both even and bright according to your smile aesthetic goals. Learn more by consulting with your cosmetic dentist today.