TEETH WHITENING PART I

This is a highly talked about subject at Cazenovia Dental.  Everyone wants whiter teeth.  First of all, many of us start out with white teeth when we are young because our enamel has a glass-like unblemished glossy surface.  But with time, enamel wears down and becomes thinner from excessive brushing and acids in foods you eat.  This thinning permits the tooth's inner core structure called dentin (which is yellow in color) to show through the thin enamel.  This results in your teeth looking more yellow or grey as you age.

Furthermore, those who grind and gnash their teeth cause microscopic fractures in the enamel, destroying the once porcelain-like surface you were born with.  These fractures and microscopic cracks allow stains and debris to penetrate and quickly discolor it.

There are two types of stains that discolor teeth:  extrinsic stains and intrinsic stains.  Extrinsic staining is caused by eating habits that discolor teeth such as:  coffee, tea, deeply colored beverages, i.e. wine and purple grape juice.  Smoking also leaves brownish deposits that can soak into the teeth.  The good news is teeth whitening can remove these stains.

The intrinsic type of stain is much more difficult to whiten.  Intrinsic stains are derived from within the tooth and can be caused by drugs, such as tetracycline, prescribed when you are young or ingesting too much fluoride when your teeth are developing.

In Tooth Whitening Part II I will discuss the different types of whitening kits and the chemicals used in the whitening process.