Your teeth can get discolored for a number of reasons. Discolored teeth can adversely affect your appearance and completely ruin your smile. However, a number of options are available today to restore the appearance of discolored teeth. These include ordinary teeth whitening and laser whitening. In extreme cases of discoloration, these may not provide effective results. In such cases, dental veneers or lumineers can be used to restore normal appearance.
Teeth get discolored for a number of reasons. Some of these reasons include food such as tea or coffee, calcium deficiency, fluoride in the water and genetic conditions. If you consume foods such as tea in excessive quantities, you run the risk of staining your teeth. The various organic compounds present in the food will penetrate the enamel layer and get lodged in the pores, thus staining the teeth. You can easily prevent teeth discoloration by following certain precautions. Avoiding foods such as tea and coffee and stopping smoking can prevent teeth discoloration to a large extent.
Teeth whitening techniques involve application of an oxidizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide to the teeth. Oxidizing agents are very unstable and produce oxygen. This oxygen reacts with the stains located in the pores of the teeth surface and oxidizes them. Thus the normal color shade of the teeth is restored. A number of bleaching agents are being used for teeth whitening today. The type of agent to be used will be determined by your dentist depending on the extent of discoloration, budget etc.
If normal teeth whitening procedures are not effective, you have the option of going for laser teeth whitening. This is a relatively new procedure that is gaining popularity lately. The procedure is very similar to conventional whitening techniques. The main difference is that it uses a laser beam to whiten the teeth. Just like conventional whitening techniques a bleaching agent is applied to the teeth and then they are exposed to a laser beam. The bleaching agents absorb energy from the laser beam and bleach the teeth. When compared to normal techniques, laser whitening is much more effective and so is a better option.
If you want to save money, you can purchase an at-home teeth whitening kit. However, the results may not be as effective as the procedures performed by the dentist. Instead of this, at-home teeth whitening kits are still a good option, worth giving a shot.