Whitening vs. Bleaching

The FDA permits the word “bleaching” only when the teeth are whitened beyond their natural color. The term bleach is used on products that typically contain hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide.

“Whitening” on the other hand, is associated with returning the tooth’s color to its original shade of white.  The word “whitening” can be used by any product that cleans the teeth of dirt and debris.

Two Types of Stains

Intrinsic and extrinsic stains are the two categories of stains.

Intrinsic stains: These are stains that appear on the interior of your teeth. Some things that can cause intrinsic stands are: aging, trauma, exposure to minerals. Up until recently intrinsic stains were thought to be to strong to be affected by teeth whitening/bleaching. Doctors have found that some take home whitening kits have been effective when used over months and years.

Extrinsic stains: These are the stains that appear on the exterior or surface of your teeth. Most often these stains are a result from dark colored beverages, foods or tobacco. Routine wear and tear is often attributed to this discoloration. Some of these extrinsic stains can be removed with regular brushing while others need to be removed with bleaching.

MainTeeth Whitening Options

In Office Whitening: Typically the doctor uses high concentrations of peroxide gel on the teeth for shorter periods of time. Usually a few 15-20 minute intervals amounting to 1 hour. The advantage to this is that you are done in 1 hour instead of a few weeks.

Take-Home Whitening Kits (Professional): Many dentist are convinced that this is the way to go. You can use lower doses over longer periods of time to slowly change the color of your teeth. Usually the teeth are bleached from 1-8 hours at a time over a few weeks.

Over-the-Counter Whitening: With a slightly lower concentration of bleaching agents this take home option typically takes longer than the professional version. The advantage is that it is cheaper. One of the big disadvantages is that these trays typically only cover the front teeth while professional trays are custom fit for your whole mouth.