Can tooth enamel be brightened at home? Why can't you achieve perfect whiteness at home? 5 main mistakes of self-whitening teeth.
Teeth whitening at home is the use of improvised and special dental products to create a snow-white smile. Since going to the dentist for the same purpose requires money, and considerable money, it is tempting to remove yellowness on your own. However, even after hard work on the teeth, it is often not possible to achieve the goal. This is due to typical mistakes that can be avoided by contacting professionals.
Mistake # 1. A fundamentally wrong approach to whitening
Before you whiten your teeth at home, it is important to understand why they are, in principle, yellow. The difficulty lies in the fact that ordinary people do not understand the mechanism of color formation. For the most part, people are sure that their teeth just turned yellow "from dirt." Especially if you do not look closely at them for many years and only after someone's remarks suddenly notice that the smile is not at all the same as in the picture in a glossy magazine.
Meanwhile, experts name two key factors that determine the color of the teeth:
- Nature conditioned shade;
- Influence of extraneous influences.
Due to the fact that people in advertising of toothpaste or dentist services literally dazzle with sparkling smiles, many viewers, noticing the difference in their favor, are panicky looking for how to quickly whiten their teeth at home. However, by nature, they should not be snow-white.
What we see in the mirror is the effect of the combination of enamel and dentine shades, which runs deeper. However, the enamel coating is almost transparent. More precisely, it has a slight shade of yellowness. And this is good: it comes from the minerals that make our teeth strong and durable. As for the dentine, it is completely yellow, even with a brown tint. Because it is predominantly composed of minerals. The shade may differ towards whiteness or vice versa.
In any case, if you are worried about yellow teeth, before you whiten enamel at home, you should thank nature for this:
- Thanks to its high mineralization, an excellent resistance to caries is guaranteed. Therefore, visits to the dentist will be rare.
- In addition to strength, teeth with a high mineral content do not cause oversensitive problems. When the enamel is white with a matte effect, there is a problem of an acute reaction to a variety of stimuli.
- Nature has come up with a unique structure for each tooth. Therefore, molars, incisors, and canines, even in one person, are not the same color. The more yellow the surface, the stronger the unit. Since this means that the dentin is saturated with minerals to the maximum.
Mistake # 2. Dealing with the effect, not the cause
Lacking knowledge about the features of enamel, some people, looking for ways to whiten their teeth at home in 5 minutes, find nothing better than to rub and rub the surface, trying to remove the "dirt" purely mechanically. Others embark on chemical experiments using recipes for removing all the same "contaminants" using various home-made compounds.
If the yellowness is due to natural color, such research is only harmful. The integrity of the enamel is compromised, which makes the teeth painful, sensitive, vulnerable to caries. But at the same time, the whiteness that everyone dreamed of cannot be achieved.
As for extraneous factors that change color, everything is not as simple as it seems. Before you whiten your teeth at home with hydrogen peroxide or other means, it is important to understand the causes of yellowness.
The condition of tooth enamel is influenced by:
- smoking;
- abuse of sweet foods;
- frequent consumption of drinks and food with persistent colors;
- age;
- dental disease;
- heredity.
It is impossible to establish the exact cause of the yellowness on your own. Of course, if a person smokes, one can suspect that nicotine and combustion products have penetrated into the enamel, staining it. Then you should try to whiten your teeth at home with baking soda. Coloring agents in food and beverages work in a similar way.
If we are talking about the abuse of sweets, the mechanism for changing the shade is different. In this case, bacteria settle on the enamel, for which sweet is a nutrient medium. The metabolic products of microorganisms actually thin the protective coating of the tooth. It becomes completely transparent, yellow dentin is clearly visible.
With age, the enamel naturally becomes thinner. Indeed, over the long years of her life, she is subject to numerous trials. So, teeth whitening at home is unlikely to radically change the situation. And you certainly shouldn't try to use "nuclear" methods, which further destroy the top coat.
Finally, an independent struggle with yellowed teeth can be completely fruitless, since discoloration is often provoked by a complex dental disease. Especially if the shade of literally one canine or incisor has changed dramatically. Instead of picking up a prescription for whitening teeth at home, it is better to rush to the doctor. He will determine the specific cause of the darkening, prescribe treatment. And, if really necessary, a specialist will recommend a truly effective whitening product.
Even if, according to reviews, teeth whitening at home turned out to be miraculous for someone, it is not a fact that it will help another person. After all, more pronounced yellowness is also inherited. Trying to change the natural color of enamel and dentine with improvised means is a deliberately thankless and fruitless task.
Mistake number 3. Use of hazardous agents that destroy enamel
Not really understanding how and why yellowness occurs, people come up with a lot of ways to deal with it. Moreover, without thinking whether it is possible to whiten your teeth at home in principle. Assuming that the ingrained dirt can be simply "erased", it is enough just to make an effort and use the "miracle cure". But at best, the experiment is followed by disappointment. At worst, the condition is aggravated. Along with the preserved yellowness, hypersensitivity is already annoying, and caries has sharply overcome.
What are the improvised means they manage to use, hoping to effectively whiten teeth at home:
- Soda or salt … They have the abrasive properties that ordinary people rely on. To remove the "dirt", such substances are poured onto the brush and rubbing their teeth mercilessly, rubbing them, hoping to see how a smile sparkles in the sun. Sometimes soda or salt is simply applied to gauze by wrapping a finger around it. But the essence of the procedure remains the same. Alas, table salt and soda are represented by rather large crystals. They imperceptibly leave microscopic damage on the enamel. As a result, the coating becomes thinner. Pathogenic microflora settle in the grooves formed by the crystals. Its waste products contribute to the rapid formation of plaque. The enamel becomes thinner and … the teeth turn yellow! At the same time, their condition worsens and the risks of accelerated development of caries increase.
- Activated carbon … Black tablets are ground into powder, which is then used to brush your teeth, hoping to return whiteness. This method is rooted in the distant past. Our ancestors actually started cleaning from wood ash. However, they, above all, had no alternative. And, of course, they acted according to the same logic as the townsfolk, not really understanding the structure of the teeth, the reasons for the appearance of yellowness. Trying to whiten your teeth with activated charcoal at home can do as much harm as using baking soda and salt. Charcoal particles are hard enough to cause scratches. Further, the above-described process is started, when a heightened sensitivity, the development of caries, becomes a consequence of home bleaching.
Such abrasive products will only help remove plaque. However, in doing so, they will cause harm, the consequences of which will be devastating to the enamel.
Some more connoisseurs from the people, in response to the question of how to effectively whiten teeth at home, for some reason recommend tea tree oil. But dentists unanimously answer that it will not affect the shade of the enamel in any way. Such a remedy is actually good for the oral cavity. It can be used to strengthen the gums, as the active ingredients tone the tissues and relieve inflammation. As such, there will be no harm from tea oil, but it is completely inactive in bleaching.
Mistake # 4. Use of ineffective and harmful methods
To effectively whiten teeth at home without harm, there is little understanding of the cause of discoloration. Although, understanding the mechanism of the appearance of yellowness, it is already a little easier: there is an understanding of where to go. For example, if the shade is disappointing as a result of years of smoking, it is clear that it is necessary to remove the particles of nicotine and other substances that have eaten into the teeth. The same goes for wine and coffee lovers, strong tea and carbonated drinks.
When looking for how you can whiten your teeth at home, if they have changed color from nicotine or dyes, they rely mainly on hydrogen peroxide, lemon juice, strawberries. And they are busy for a long time, tormenting themselves for months. But at the same time, the desired result has not been achieved.
Why such methods do not work, and why they are dangerous:
- Hydrogen peroxide … This substance can actually whiten teeth. It is not for nothing that it is included in the composition of professional products used in dentistry. Its molecules penetrate deep into the enamel, directly affecting the dentin. With the release of oxygen, the oxidation of tissues occurs, which had time to be stained. So the dentin brightens. But why can't you whiten your teeth at home with peroxide? For the simple reason that the usual liquid from the pharmacy, used as an antiseptic, is "weak". This is a 6-8% solution, while a 40% concentrate is required for the result, no less. Alas, independent attempts to return a dazzling smile are fraught with burns to the mucous membrane, thinning of the enamel, and increased sensitivity of the teeth. So any recipes with such a component are not recommended. The harm of teeth whitening at home will be real, but the effect is almost imperceptible.
- Lemon acid … It is used both in powder form and in the form of freshly squeezed juice. But both in the first and in the second case, this teeth whitening at home cannot be called effective. They brush their teeth with powder instead of toothpaste, looking to see if the enamel starts to shine like new. Alas, this will not happen. This acid attack is too weak, while acid particles in the form of grains cause significant damage to the coating. As a result, scratches are formed on the enamel. Pathogenic microorganisms settle in them. Therefore, plaque, and even tartar, forms very quickly. Moreover, the acid, almost without affecting the pigments, from which the teeth turned yellow, also corrodes the enamel. It becomes thinner, hypersensitivity occurs, and there are more risks of caries formation. Fresh lemon juice will not scratch surfaces. But at the same time, it also corrodes the enamel, if it brightens, it is almost imperceptible. Therefore, it is better not to resort to such methods of teeth whitening at home, so as not to harm.
- Strawberry … The berry contains fruit acids, the effectiveness of which people rely on. Some dentists, if they advise teeth enamel whitening at home, it is exactly this - vitamin. True, they do not really rely on the effectiveness of the berries. Still, if they contained acids in such a high concentration that they could penetrate the enamel into the dentin and lighten it, we could hardly enjoy such gifts of nature: they would literally eat away at more sensitive tissues, starting with the mucous membrane. The content of such substances in scarlet fruits is minimal. So if it seems that after a month of rubbing the surfaces with a strawberry mass, the teeth turned white, then this is most likely a placebo effect. However, some craftsmen come up with the idea of kneading strawberries into gruel, and then adding soda. How to whiten your teeth according to such a simple recipe at home: brushing the enamel to shine and dreaming of a Hollywood smile. Only here's the problem: it's almost the same as whitening teeth with baking soda at home. Abrasives will scratch the surface, and acids will also corrode the enamel. So, very serious dental problems will soon follow. By the way, don't forget about the likelihood of a strawberry allergy!
Mistake # 5. Unjustified hopes for home dental products
Modern dentistry has an extensive arsenal of teeth whitening techniques. Moreover, doctors even offer several tools for independent work on a smile. After reading reviews on how to whiten teeth at home, you can find different responses about such tools. Some people are overjoyed. Others remain dissatisfied.
In fact, this is not surprising. All the same, the condition of the teeth is different for everyone. The reasons for the darkening of the enamel are also different. So for some, dental products for home use are what they need. But for someone to use them is completely useless.
How can you whiten your teeth at home, if you turn to special dental products, and what's the catch:
- Whitening Pastes … They contain mainly abrasives, but there are also products with the addition of carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide in another form. Doctors frankly say that such formulations are not able to cope with pigmentation. Abrasives work first. A slight lightening effect is observed thanks to them: just an abrasive paste removes all plaque well. The surface becomes clean and smooth, reflects light better - this is the whole secret of a sparkling renewed smile. As for peroxides, toothpastes will not save you if the enamel and dentin are stained, and you want to find how you can quickly whiten your teeth at home. In such products, used uncontrollably, without medical supervision, the content of corrosive substances is completely insignificant.
- Records and markers … They work due to the content of hydrogen peroxide. After reading reviews about teeth whitening at home with such tools, you should also not rush to buy at the pharmacy, where they are sold. The fact is that the felt-tip pens contain innocent amounts of peroxide. Although, it must be admitted, such a concentration is still sufficient to penetrate the dentin. Therefore, an insignificant effect from the application is observed. The maximum that you can count on is lightening by 1-2 tones. By the way, doctors advise using such tools to maintain the beauty of a smile after in-room whitening. But it is better not to count on the fact that it will be possible to return the shine of the enamel to a hard-core smoker through this method.
- Home whitening system … This is a dental product based on the use of a special whitening gel and mouth guard. Here he is called the most effective of all means that you can apply yourself. This is the best answer to the question of how to whiten yellow teeth at home. But, naturally, the method is the most expensive. It requires a visit to a doctor who will make a custom mouthguard. You also need to buy the same gel that will whiten the fabric. The active substance penetrates the dentin, brightening the teeth. True, and this is not a panacea. Since a gel with a lower concentration of peroxide is offered for home use, a lightening of a maximum of 4-10 shades is possible. And for this you have to go through a whole course of procedures. So do not rely too much on rave reviews about how to whiten teeth at home to snow-white. In the dentist's office, it would be possible to achieve the desired color much faster. But every unnecessary procedure worsens the condition of the enamel, imperceptibly thinning it. Therefore, doctors usually recommend home systems in addition to in-office whitening to complete and consolidate the result.
Is it dangerous to whiten your teeth - watch the video:
It is best to go to the doctor before whitening your teeth at home with charcoal or experimenting with other methods. The specialist will as accurately as possible find out the cause of the yellowness and only then will he select the most adequate and effective method of lightening, if it is really necessary and expedient.
