Dental Teeth Whitening: What You Should Know About Teeth Whitening

The old saying “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” is true, especially when it comes to a face-to-face meeting. When you meet someone for the first time, your smile says more about you than you ever realized.

Healthy teeth and a white smile are more pleasant to look at and will improve the way you are perceived by those who meet you. Your teeth and smile are much more important than you realize and you need to take good care of them. This means you will want to whiten your teeth if they are yellow or discolored to get them looking their best.

But, before you jump in with both feet, you will want to take a few things into consideration if you are looking into dental teeth whitening. If you are hasty and do not research the products you plan to use, you could do permanent damage to your teeth. Here are five remedies you will want to avoid:

1. Bleach. Never use regular household bleach on your teeth. It can be very harmful to your tooth enamel and can make you ill if you swallow it. You may think this is odd to caution about but there are people who do whiten their teeth this way.
2. Peroxide. Use straight peroxide in moderation as regular use can wear down your tooth enamel and make your teeth porous and sensitive.
3. Whitening Toothpastes. While these toothpastes may whiten your teeth a shade or two they are also very abrasive and can damage your teeth with long-term use.
4. Baking Soda. Like whitening toothpaste, baking soda is abrasive and should not be used everyday. Alternate this whitening method with less abrasive toothpaste.
5. Drugstore Whiteners. Some of these will do nothing while others will whiten your teeth a few shades. Beware of mild to severe tooth sensitivity with whitening strips. Discontinue use if the pain becomes extreme.

For the best results, you will want to consult your dentist for the best teeth whitening methods. These will be the safest and most effective. And, while they cost a bit more, they will last much longer than any other method you will need to repeat regularly.

If you choose any home remedy or drugstore tooth whitening method, be sure to read all directions carefully and consult your dentist if anything feels uncomfortable or looks like a tooth has been damaged.