Whitening Toothpaste - How They Work

Whitening toothpastes are technically the normal toothpaste that we use in our day to day life, since they also help in removing the surface stains, along with debris and plaque. But there are only a few whitening toothpastes that contain the real ingredients for whitening, such as the chemicals or bleaching agents and the abrasives in accurate concentrations for whitening.

Teeth whitening toothpastes are known to be the best and the most inexpensive alternative to other methods of whitening. This indeed is an option that almost anyone can try instead of going for the very expensive in-office teeth whitening treatments. Although the whiteness might not be as bright and effective as desired, it definitely pays off when used for a considerable period of time.

Before trying out some of the most expensive teeth whitening treatments like in-office techniques or take-home kits, you can try using whitening toothpastes to see the results. Whitening toothpastes are increasingly popular for regular use. If you have light stains and you simply want to brighten up your teeth, whitening toothpastes are the best solution for the purpose.

As people are now more conscious about the overall appeal and look, their teeth has also become a primary concern. Stains, marks and discolorations of teeth are very common problems and every human being wants whiter teeth to enhance their appearance. Indeed, whiter teeth can make you look younger and it also adds to your confidence. There are many more options for whitening that can be tried, but whitening toothpastes are outstanding and really cheap of all.

The Ingredients

Whitening toothpastes commonly include peroxide as the main ingredient. Either hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide is used in moderate amounts for bleaching. Peroxide brings about the dazzling whiteness and removes the unwanted stains and discolorations from your teeth after you’ve used it persistently over a certain period of time. Another very important thing to be considered about whitening toothpastes is the abrasive action. The abrasive substances help in removing the surface stains by scrubbing the teeth thoroughly.

The abrasive ingredients commonly contained in whitening toothpastes are chalk, baking soda and silica. Most of the modern day teeth whitening toothpastes would contain chemical agents, such as the peroxide formula and one or more of the other mentioned ingredients for enhanced effects.

How do the Teeth Whitening Toothpastes Work?

Whitening toothpastes can make your teeth appear brighter and much whiter by removing all the extrinsic stains from the surface. This is the basic job to be done. Most of these whitening toothpastes include abrasive ingredients, as stated before, for improving the cleaning action. Some whitening toothpastes often contain additional abrasives and polishing agents like the daily use toothpastes, but with more granularity.

Whitening toothpastes, however, have increased abrasiveness than the daily-use toothpastes, which helps them in removing additional stains from the surface of the teeth than with the regular toothpastes.

There are mild to moderate whitening toothpastes available today that needs to be used carefully, whist the mild teeth whitening toothpastes can always be used like the daily-use toothpastes, the more powerful ones containing chemical agents and more abrasive substances are to be used once in a day or once in a week, according to their abrasive variants.

Do Teeth Whitening Toothpastes Actually Work?

To be very honest with you, you cannot expect miracles to happen by using teeth whitening toothpastes. These toothpastes cost approximately $3 to $10, and you simply cannot expect to have pearly white teeth by using these products. However, persistent use does produce good results, but not something that you see on television. If the whitening toothpastes were truly that effective, people would never opt for the more expensive options like in-office teeth whitening.

Whitening toothpastes aren’t meant for altering the color of your teeth dramatically like that of the bleaching treatments available today. They are rather meant for removing the surface stains only to make your teeth color lighter. They helps in restoring your natural teeth color by clearing up the extrinsic stains only from the enamel layers, which is the outer later; they don’t bleach your teeth.

Bleaching is a totally different technique and it is more effective, as it changes the color of your teeth completely, whereas whitening toothpastes simply take care of the outer appearance of your teeth.

Toothpastes are best suited for removing the surface stains that tend to appear over time due to certain foods and beverages like tea and coffee. Smoking is also another factor that causes yellowness of teeth. However, if you have deeper stains like the ones caused by tetracycline or trauma, you cannot depend on whitening toothpastes.

Benefits of Whitening Toothpastes

There are quite a few benefits of whitening toothpastes:

• It is the cheapest teeth whitening solution available till date.
• No dental visits are required; you can use toothpastes the way you feel like. Of course, you must read the label carefully.
• Whitening toothpastes help in cleaning dental tartar and plaque thoroughly. They also help in treating cavities.

Disadvantages of using Whitening Toothpastes

As there are certain advantages of whitening toothpastes, there are certain disadvantages as well:

• Whitening toothpastes can gradually improve the color of your teeth; you cannot expect quick results. If you are looking for quick results, you must seek help from an expert cosmetic dentist in this context.
• Whitening toothpastes do not help in removing all the stains. Some stains tend to be very deep and it isn’t possible to remove such stains with toothpastes. More aggressive treatments are required for eliminating deeper stains.

Possible Side Effects of Teeth Whitening Toothpastes

Prolonged use of highly abrasive whitening toothpastes can cause problems in the long run, the regular toothpastes can be used twice or thrice daily, but the ones having higher abrasiveness are to be used according to the mentioned instructions. Toothpaste having abrasiveness of 40 to 90 can be frequently used, but the ones with 100 and above abrasiveness can be used weekly only. While the abrasiveness of whitening toothpaste is essentially helpful in removing stains, it can as well cause extensive damage to the tooth enamel if used frequently.

Practice good oral hygiene today and pay greater attention to your brushing technique for enhanced results.