Nobody wants to be in the yellow team. We refer here strictly to the color of teeth. The natural teeth color can be in a variety of shades; but the shade that you practically have is worse, because of cigarettes, coffee, cola, red wine or even cherries and blueberries. However, there are other reasons why our teeth are getting shady colors. Among such reasons we will find aging, the accumulation of plaque, tartar deposits or even the over consumption of fluoride which leads to a "mottled" look of the teeth. Of course, there are more reasons why teeth are losing their original color such as treatment with antibiotics during childhood or trauma to the teeth, which causes a brown, gray or black color.

How can we make them white? Dentistry has a specialized branch that takes care of the look of our teeth, called the cosmetic dentistry. Treatments available thanks to this branch of dentistry vary. Here are a few of the most popular treatments: we have the "tooth bleaching?, or the simple teeth whitening, the enamel shaping, which reshapes the contouring enamel of the tooth. We have bonding, which helps with chipped or cracked teeth, and the tooth veneers, those ultra-thin laminates pinned directly to the teeth.

The materials used by dentists in the past were gold or amalgam as fillings or for other restorations. Even then, they veneered in porcelain some of the teeth. Now, cosmetic dental procedures use porcelain for the entire dental work. Porcelain has a look very much like the natural tooth. The bond to the underlying tooth takes place with resin adhesives. For whitening through laser bleaching, the only material needed is the hydrogen peroxide gel. Anywhere you go, the dentist will use some product containing anywhere from 15% to 30% this substance.

Nevertheless, before you begin your teeth whitening treatment, the dentist will protect the soft tissues by placing a gel or a special shield. He or she will also use a gel to isolate the gum areas. After that, he or she will apply the hydrogen peroxide to the teeth. The use of a laser light increases the whitening effect. Then you must rinse off the bleaching gel and repeat this procedure for a few times. It is truly not that difficult and the result can bring only joy into our life.

Before you opt for one of the available teeth whitening treatments, make sure you do not have any white fillings. They will remain less white after the dental whitening. To what concerns the time following immediately such an operation, if you wonder whether you can eat or drink, the answer if an affirmative one. However, you do stand the risk of one side effect, namely teeth sensitivity. It will last for about 24 hours, so it is not that bad.

One can maintain the effect of teeth whitening for a longer while if he or she takes increased care of what he or she eats and drinks. In this manner, we also make a little money saving, by putting in a little bit of effort. We most follow a few simple steps. Therefore, for someone who just finished a session of teeth whitening at a cosmetic dentist, here are the rules to follow for keeping your new teeth white on for as much as you like. First, use a whitening toothpaste; second, brush or rinse immediately after eating; third, use a straw to drink coffee, tea, colas and red wine?and, last, only for the women, use pink-based lipstick.

Therefore, cosmetic dentistry can do many things for you. However, in the case where you have tooth-colored fillings, crowns, caps or bonding in your front teeth, bleaching is not recommendable. These materials are keeping their color and do not turn white as the teeth. Therefore, their next option can be tooth veneers or bonding, also available as cosmetic dentistry procedures. Dental veneers are porcelain or plastic pieces glued on the front of the teeth. You have two alternatives for veneers: porcelain (indirect) veneers or composite (direct) veneers.

Apart from in-office whitening, you have the possibility to perform a bit of cosmetic dentistry on your own, with available home treatments for teeth whitening. The first method is brush-on whitening, and it is about letting the substance dry on our teeth and in the morning, they are white. An alternative is the use of all sorts of dental bleaching gels. Nevertheless, if you have the time and money, we suggest dental whitening in the office.