Lately more and more people talk about and even go to the dentist for different cosmetic dentistry procedures like teeth whitening. Reasons for which people turn to these procedures are various: from a car accident in which they broke their teeth, to the taking place of their weeding day on which they want to look great.

Teeth Whitening is the process of bleaching or whitening the teeth using chemicals or lasers. In old times teeth's whitening was done with baking soda and some dentists still recommend this method as prevention of stained teeth and also for good gums, but today there are several possibilities for teeth whitening such as:

home kits bought by you over the counter or provided by the dentist

going to your dentist

and of course the tooth paste for teeth whitening.

Home kits usually contain gels and strips. Teeth whitening tooth pastes are meant to be used always on daily bases, 2-3 times per day. The home kits (gels and strips for teeth whitening) are usually used for several hours during the day or overnight for about 4 weeks.

The dentist approach for teeth whitening is the most recommended beside the tooth paste. Why? Because is the safest way to do it. Of course, there is the possibility to profit from teeth whitening with a home kit provided by the dentist, but it still takes you 4 weeks to get results. So, the fastest and safest way for teeth whitening remains going to the dentist and sit on the chair during 30-60 minutes per session, for several times. Dentists also use gels, but they are associated with heat treatments or laser bleaching. This gives great results in a much shorter period of time. Depending on your teeth, the teeth whitening at the dentist can be easier and have longer lasting results than all the other methods.

Cosmetic dentistry includes teeth whitening, but it also includes other procedures such as correction of bad teeth. When we talk about cosmetic dentistry, we think of several problems that need to be corrected or things that need to be improved such as:

if you have missing teeth or if, for some reason, the space between teeth is too large

teeth that are mismatched

if you have gums that show too much when you smile

also if your teeth are too small or large, too thin or too short

fillings that have natural appearance, meaning that they have the color of your teeth

replacing crowns that are old with new ones that are non metal

and, as I said before, it also includes teeth whitening.

In other words a cosmetic dentistry procedure could help restore our smile and our confidence. But, let's not make a mistake by saying that cosmetic dentistry is meant to improve only our appearance. Cosmetic dentistry is very useful in restoring your health. Correcting your bite and your chewing abilities can be of great help. So, it is important to remember that cosmetic dentistry has a medical purpose too.

Just like in the case of teeth whitening, cosmetic dentistry can need 1-2 visits at the dentist’s, or even more, depending on the problems we have. There is also some cosmetic dentistry that may need to be preceded by teeth whitening with about 2 weeks if we want the maximum results. For example, dental restorations like crowns, veneers, bonding and bridges are made with materials that do not whiten so, the teeth whitening will be uneven. This is why, if we want to whiten our teeth, but we also need some cosmetic dentistry too such as the one mentioned above, we should do the teeth whiting first and, after that, start whatever cosmetic dentistry we may need.

As any other procedure, cosmetic dentistry (including teeth whitening) has some restrictions and warnings such as:

they are not recommended during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

under the age of 16 because there is the risk of irritating the pulp

if you are allergic to the whitening agent peroxide

and if we have some gum diseases that need first to be treated before anything else.

Very important to remember is that, if you want to undergo any procedure, you should first get research as much information as you can. For example, there are some voices that say that teeth whitening weakens our teeth and exposes them to other problems. This is why it's much better to get informed and find out the truth. You can form your our own opinion and make the right decision regarding which cosmetic dentistry procedure to use.