Do whitening toothpastes actually work? The answer is yes and no. Yes- they can remove extrinsic staining but no - they will not remove intrinsic staining.
Let me explain; there are 2 types of staining that affect the colour of your teeth
Intrinsic Staining
Extrinsic Staining
Intrinsic Staining - Intrinsic staining happens internally and can be caused by different factors including- medication taken as a child, trauma or excessive fluoride consumption. As dentine is darker than enamel, as we age, we wear down enamel and expose more dentine, hence our teeth appear darker. This is why the neck of the tooth often looks darker as gum recession causes dentine to become exposed giving the tooth a darker appearance.
The only way to remove intrinsic staining is by bleaching your teeth through professional products administered by your dentist containing safe levels of hydrogen or carbamide peroxide. In Ireland, the preferred method of peroxide based tooth whitening is using custom made whitening trays, laser tooth whitening is prohibited.
External Staining - External staining of teeth is typically causes by smoking, drinking tea/coffee/red wine. It responds well to brushing with whitening toothpaste that contains ingredients to help remove stains, almost like an exfoliator. They will not change the underlying colour of your teeth.
These are typical ingredients found in whitening toothpastes ;
Hydrogen Peroxide
The legal limit for hydrogen peroxide in over the counter toothpaste is 0.1%. This compared to 6% hydrogen peroxide found in professional tooth whitening products means that hydrogen peroxide toothpaste have a very limited effect on teeth. It is worth investing in professional whitening services with custom made whitening trays as they are 600 times stringer than whitening toothpastes! Dr Jennifer Collins provides a full whitening service for only 280e at Northumberland Dental Care! If you wish to use an over the counter toothpaste, spotlight whitening toothpaste is a good toothpaste.
Optic Brighteners
Another method of tooth whitening is the use of a film which coats teeth to provide an option whitening effect. Blue covarine is a typical brightening ingredient. These have an immediate whitening effect , but do not last long as saliva washes away the paste rapidly.
Sodium Bicarbonate
Sodium bicarbonate or baking soda is an excellent stain remover and has natural antibacterial properties .
Charcoal
Charcoal has seen a big jump in popularity, despite the Oral Health Foundation stating that there is not enough claims to support claims around its efficacy. In higher strengths, charcoal can be too abrasive for teeth. if you are using charcoal toothpaste, make sure it is deactivated charcoal you are using, that the toothpaste contains fluoride and you are prepared to clean your sink regularly!
Hope this answers your questions! For further information, you can contact Dr Jennifer Collins and her team at Northumberland Dental Care and book online at www.nidm.ie .
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