Seeing some yellow stains on your teeth? You may wonder what can be a safe way to test a whitening product at a low cost and not damage teeth. The answer is using whitening toothpaste.
These can appear to remove surface-level stains that drinking and eating colored foods causes.
However, they do not change the color of your teeth, nor do they remove intrinsic stains that can go beyond the surface of the tooth.
This article discusses the use of toothpaste and how you can achieve a whiter smile through it.
Keep reading below to know more!
Whitening Toothpaste Ingredients
Whitening products usually contain an abrasive or a bleaching agent as these two help to remove stains and change the color of teeth, brightening them.
Abrasives will gently polish teeth and they gently abrade the enamel.
Hence, they will only remove surface stains and not whiten the tooth.
Toothpaste usually only contains mild abrasives such as baking soda.
That said, almost every toothpaste contains some form of mild abrasive as it helps to polish your teeth and also remove plaque.
The difference in whitening toothpaste is that it usually contains a higher amount.
Dicalcium phosphate and silica are other abrasives that are popularly used in toothpaste.
The abrasives are softer than your enamel. Hence, they do not wear down teeth but they remove the surface stains that the buildup of plaque causes.
Bleaching agents such as hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide change the color of your teeth along with removing stains.
The amount of hydrogen peroxide in toothpaste is considerably lesser than that in many other teeth whitening products.
However, this provides visible results after continuous exposure, removing the stains along with whitening the teeth.
Carbamide peroxide is another bleaching agent. It is volatile and it breaks the bonds that hold the stains firmly on your teeth.
This helps in bleaching the stains as well as giving your enamel a natural white color.
Other than that, some toothpaste contains blue covarine.
This chemical sticks to the surface of teeth and it makes an optical illusion that gives teeth a whiter appearance.
Hence, they look whiter rather than yellow even if it does not whiten teeth.
Peroxide gives the best results among the ingredients. Use it consistently at least for six days, twice a day to see results.
Whereas abrasives will only polish and remove the surface level stains on teeth.
How to Use It?
Before you start using just any whitening toothpaste, ensure that you are getting the right one.
Dental products that contain the Seal of Acceptance of the American Dental Association are safe to use.
You can trust that products that contain the seal have undergone thorough demonstration and evaluation.
Hence, the seal represents their safety as well as efficacy.
Hence, when buying toothpaste with whitening properties, choose one that has the ADA Seal.
Next, you can use the toothpaste like your regular toothpaste, brushing with it two times a day.
However, you may not see a significant change unless you give it at least six weeks.
Whitening toothpaste can whiten teeth by one shade or more depending on what they contain.
If the toothpaste you choose has mild abrasives then it will not produce a bigger change. However, that can still remove the surface stains on the teeth.
The instructions for each toothpaste can differ. Hence, read them on the label and see if the manufacturer recommends daily use.
However, if you feel tooth sensitivity, then alter between your regular toothpaste and the whitening one so that your gums and teeth are not as irritated.
If you suffer from sensitivity generally, then purchase a toothpaste that tackles both whitening and sensitivity.
The effects of the toothpaste will take a while to show, however, in the meanwhile you need to prevent your teeth from worsening.
Do not render your effort useless by going back to your eating and drinking habits that stain teeth in the first place.
Rather, stay consistent in practicing good oral hygiene. Besides brushing your teeth twice, also floss them regularly once a day. Moreover, add a whitening mouthwash for even better results at the end of your use.
Though, there are some pros and cons of toothpaste.
Pros and Cons
Whitening toothpaste is an affordable way to remove stains.
If you are low on budget and want to give whitening a shot, then using toothpaste is one of the ways you can do it without hassle or expense.
Even if you go to the dentist, you may end up still accumulating stains between appointments, especially if there isn’t much attention paid to what you consume.
Hence, cleaning your teeth daily will prevent the build-up of stains in the meanwhile so it does not give teeth a darker look.
However, there are also cons attached to the use of toothpaste.
If there are abrasives in the toothpaste then it will not penetrate the enamel to whiten the teeth.
The best it can do is to remove the surface level stains.
On the other hand, if it contains peroxide bleaching agents then your teeth and gums are prone to sensitivity and irritation.
While choosing the toothpaste it is important to remember that abrasives, while removing surface stains are also harsher on the enamel.
It can remove the enamel if the abrasives are not softer than the enamel. This eventually reveals the dentin underneath the enamel which is naturally darker.
Hence, your teeth look discolored again.
Furthermore, you need to keep realistic expectations regarding its use.
People with gray or dark yellow and brown stains may not achieve great results by using this product.
It will maximum remove the stains and whiten teeth up to one shade.
So if you have stubborn stains due to tartar accumulation and smoking, then the toothpaste has its limitations in removing them.
Plus, it is important to remember that whitening products do not work on fillings, crowns or veneers.
If you want long-lasting treatment, then refer to other alternatives for whitening.
Alternatives for Teeth Whitening Toothpaste
There are other ways of getting whiter teeth using either home kits or going to the dentist for one treatment.
Home Products
Besides whitening toothpaste, there are other ways to whiten your teeth from the comfort of your home.
These teeth whitening kits and products contain gels, strips, pens, and mouth guards.
One thing common in all of these products is the bleaching agent in the gel.
These products either contain hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide.
You can apply the gel using a brush directly to the teeth.
However, the strips, pen and mouth guard also use the gel.
The thinly transparent strips contain a gel that sticks to your teeth, covering them entirely and whitening them in the process.
Similarly, the pen also contains a whitening gel that marks the stains and covers them.
When it comes to using the mouthguard, you first apply the gel and then wear the mouthguard that emits blue light to increase the efficiency of the gel.
Hence, all of these products inevitably contain a gel that can whiten your teeth by bleaching them.
Besides these kits and products, you also have popular remedies that can change teeth color.
Remedies
Using baking soda as a toothpaste is a popular remedy for teeth whitening.
As it is an abrasive, it can remove the surface level stains similar to how whitening toothpaste with abrasives work.
However, you need to be careful as it can harm the enamel as well.
Other than that, oil pulling or using a hydrogen peroxide rinse are also ways to control the bacteria in the mouth.
Hence, limiting the plaque and stain buildup.
While options such as using a banana peel may not do much for your teeth, some of the remedies are useful in bringing about a change.
Dental Treatment Alternative to Whitening Toothpaste
Getting dental treatments such as laser whitening or teeth whitening zoom can bring quicker results than any other whitening method.
You will be done in an hour-long, single session.
Whereas you have to be consistent and wait for weeks to see results with toothpaste and other whitening kits.
Moreover, the difference is the shade of your teeth is visible immediately.
You can achieve up to 8 shades of whiter teeth with zoom whitening.
However, toothpaste, that too with a peroxide base will only whiten up your teeth to one shade.
In fact, many may simply remove the stains and not bring enough change to the shade of your teeth.
This is because the products at a dental clinic contain a higher concentration of peroxide gel than those available to use at home.
Your dentist will also ensure that you do not feel any gum irritation or sensitivity after the procedure.
Hence, if you are willing to spend on your teeth then go for professional whitening.
Though, if you are just trying to remove the surface stains then using a whitening toothpaste is a good start.
Finally,
Whitening toothpaste may not be able to bring huge changes to your teeth, however, it will still make them brighter.
Use it as a starting point to navigate your way into the world of teeth whitening products.
