Have you noticed stains on your teeth? Dental discoloration can leave you wanting to hide your smile, which can lead to an overall blow to your confidence. You may be looking for an easy way to brighten your smile and boost your self-esteem.
Over-the-counter products like whitening toothpaste promise to brighten your teeth by several shades. In some cases, this special toothpaste can accomplish this. But to find optimal results, you should discuss personalized cosmetic dental work with your dentist. If you are curious, you should read on to learn how whitening toothpaste can work for your smile.
What Does Traditional Toothpaste Do?
You apply a pea-sized amount of toothpaste to your toothbrush during your oral hygiene regimen to improve the scrubbing capability of this cleaning process. The abrasive ingredients in traditional toothpaste allow you to better clear away plaque and other harmful particles that would otherwise cling to your smile.
Traditional toothpaste can also wash away some surface stains to make your smile both clean and beautiful. But many dental stains develop deeper in your tooth enamel which your toothbrush and ordinary toothpaste cannot reach. If you want to brighten your smile, you should seek products designed to whiten teeth.
Will Whitening Toothpaste Brighten My Smile?
Whitening toothpaste differs from traditional toothpaste in that it contains bleaching agents. These ingredients penetrate deeper into your teeth to lift stubborn stains to the surface where you can easily brush them away. This leaves your smile looking brighter.
Not all tooth discoloration will respond to these bleaching ingredients, but some of them will. When choosing a brand of whitening toothpaste, look for one marked with the ADA seal. This way, you know that the product is guaranteed to work when used as directed.
What Are Other Ways to Whiten My Teeth?
As mentioned, whitening toothpaste can help certain tooth discolorations known as extrinsic stains. This type of dental discoloration forms closer to the surface of the tooth and usually develops due to consuming foods or drinks that contain staining agents.
But you can also form stains on your smile deeper in the tooth known as intrinsic stains. These may occur due to medication side effects, aging, or other factors outside of your control. Whitening toothpaste and other over-the-counter products cannot address these types of dental stains.
However, you can visit your dentist to find personalized smile enhancement to improve your tooth color. They offer professional teeth whitening treatments that involve the expert application of bleaching gel that will suit your unique smile aesthetic goals.
They can also provide other cosmetic dental treatments that can address intrinsic tooth stains. For instance, tooth bonding involves applying composite resin to the teeth to cover dental discoloration. This treatment might suffer staining if you are not careful, so pay attention to your dentist’s aftercare guidelines.
The dentist might also recommend porcelain veneers. These custom-made shells attach to the teeth to also cover stubborn stains and give you the pearly white smile of your dreams. These fixtures will resist staining for long-lasting smile enhancement.