As a young mother, I was reasonably ignorant when raising my firstborn. My biggest regret is that I didn't help her take better care of her teeth. Like many people, I didn't realise the importance of baby teeth, resulting in long-term dental problems. Recently, my daughter got married and some of my tears were for the beautiful, glistening smile she presented to the cameras. Ever since I realised the dental damage I had caused, I had been saving for my daughter to have cosmetic dentistry. The results are remarkable. During the course of this journey, I have learnt a lot about caring for children's teeth and corrective procedures that can be undertaken when issues arise. I am sure many of you would be interested in the latest knowledge and techniques that are available to prevent and repair dental complications. I'm Margret Devlin - thanks for visiting.
While you may not have expected a home whitening kit to give you a Hollywood A-lister smile, you probably expected your teeth to look a fair bit whiter than before. Sometimes home whitening kits don't work as well as expected, even if you've followed their instructions to the letter, and your teeth may not look as white as you'd hoped they would. Why does this happen and what can you do it about it?
Bleaching Power
The peroxide content in home whitening kits that you buy over the counter is regulated by the government to make sure that DIY kits are as safe as possible. Typically, you shouldn't be able to buy a home whitening kit that contains more than 6% of hydrogen peroxide and 18% of carbamide peroxide.
These peroxides are the ingredients that whiten your teeth. While many people see some improvement in the whiteness of their teeth with these levels of peroxides, some people aren't as happy because they wanted a higher shade of whiteness than home kits are able to deliver.
Types of Discolouration
Home whitening kits work on the outside of your teeth, making the surface look whiter and brighter. These kits cannot work on any discolouration or staining that appears inside your teeth. If you have damaged a tooth in the past or have a natural internally discoloured tooth, the surface of the tooth may appear a little whiter after a home treatment; however, the discolouration will still be there and may still show through.
How to Get a Whiter Smile
You may find that applying another home whitening treatment may build on the results of the first kit, making your smile a little whiter. It is important to follow the manufacturer's instructions on repeated use of any kit. If you use too many home whitening treatments, you could damage the surface of your teeth or make them more sensitive.
Warning: Don't be tempted to use more of a kit's bleaching solution than is recommended in the instructions in the hope you'll get better levels of whiteness. Extra bleach may leak out of the trays and damage the inside of your mouth.
If you aren't happy with the whitening results you got from a DIY kit, it's worth looking into cosmetic dentistry. Dentists are allowed to use treatments with higher peroxide content, so you may see better results with a professional treatment. If you have an internally discoloured tooth, your dentist may also be able to fix that with an internal bleaching treatment.
Share28 September 2016
