What Is Teeth Whitening?

Teeth whitening is the process of lightening the color of your teeth. Over time teeth become stained due to a variety of reasons coffee, tea, red wine, and tobacco are some examples that contribute to stains. They contain chromogens which are intensely pigmented molecules that can attach to your tooth enamel that can cause surface stains or :extrinsic” stains. Surface stains can be removed with whitening toothpaste that have mild cleansers to gently scrub the enamel exterior of the tooth. Under the harder enamel there is a softer surface called dentin that can soak up the tougher deeper intrinsic stains. The intrinsic stains get darker as we age and these stains need peroxide bleaching agents to remove them.Two types of peroxide agents used in teeth whitening are hydrogen and carbamide peroxide. The carbamide peroxide becomes hydrogen peroxide when applied to the teeth. Hydrogen peroxide acts as a strong oxidizing bleaching agent that breaks up chromogens into smaller, less colored molecules. This is the quickest way to whiten a deep intrinsic stain. It’s that simple!