How Does Teeth Whitening Work?
There are a multitude of teeth whitening products on the market, but they’re not all the same. The over-the-counter formulations or ones in ‘whitening toothpaste’, are far weaker than Aria Dental’s professionally prescribed product.
When we apply whitening product to the tooth, it breaks down into water and oxygen ions. The oxygen ions enter the tooth enamel, attacking the long stain molecules, breaking them down into shorter molecules that are colourless. These molecules are then naturally removed from your tooth by saliva.
Teeth whitening kits can come in various strengths, with the more intense consisting of a high number of oxygen ions.
What to know before buying an online teeth whitening kit?
If you’ve spent time on social media, you’ve probably seen influencer advertising for teeth whitening products. Whether it be charcoal scrubs, LED lights or a DIY gel kit, you’ve probably seen it all and feel like ‘everyone’s doing it’. But before you believe everything on social media, there are a few things you should know learn about teeth whitening Perth kits sold online.
What you should know before selecting a tooth whitening kit?
What chemical ingredients are in the kit? Are they safe?
When buying products recommended or advertised on social media, people often assume that they must be ‘okay’ – but who really finds out what is in it, before you go & put it inside your mouth? Most online whitening kits use a basis combination of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and sodium chlorite. Where dentists use hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide, both are well researched, are safe and clinically proven to break down stains.
How much active ingredient is in the kit?
Most online teeth whitening kits only contain 8-9% of the active ingredient. As a comparison, whitening toothpastes contain 2%. Our Aria Dental whitening kits are stronger, containing around 16% carbamide peroxide. In Australia, only dentists can legally obtain and use higher concentrated bleaching agents for in chair treatments which contain around 30% of the active ingredient
How well do the trays fit?
Our dentists at Aria Dental will make you a custom set of trays, after a 3D digital scan. You will receive a separate top & a separate bottom tray; you can wear together or just one. Your tray will be totally moulded to your teeth and stop at the gum line. This ensures that the solution gel gets placed evenly across the surfaces of your teeth and none touching your gums. Online kits use a mouldable mouthguard, that you shape yourself in hot water. These don’t allow for a smooth coverage, allows for gaps / parts to be or over bleach areas giving you’re a spotty finish.
What’s with the UV light?
Some dentist may use UV lamps in the clinic to help activate the solution treatment, reducing your time spent in their chair, but they will use special guards to protect other parts of your mouth, like your tongue & gums from the excessive UV exposure. Online kits don’t come with those safety measures. Online UV lights (or usually just blue coloured LED lights) also dry out your teeth, which will give you a false result. As your teeth rehydrate, they will lose their ‘dry shine’. At Aria Dental, with our in chair and our professional home kits, we don’t use a UV lights. This ensures that you see real whitening results in real time.
No. It won’t last forever!
Teeth whitening kits generally take around 2-3 weeks to work and will only keep your teeth whiter for between 1-3 months (dependent on your diet, consumption of red wine, coffee etc). Most online kits will provide you with around 4x syringes of solution, which will last you about 3 weeks, requiring you to buy more product to maintain your smile. At Aria Dental, our professional teeth whitening kits provide you with 10x solution applicators to ensure you get the results you want and can then maintain the look for a reasonable period of time.
If you are looking for a more permanent ‘white teeth’ solution, you are best to learn more about the different options of dental veneers at Aria Dental.
