Teeth Whitening & Bleaching
Tooth whitening or tooth bleaching is the process of lightening the color of human teeth. Whitening is often desirable when teeth become yellow over time for a number of reasons, and can be achieved by changing the intrinsic or extrinsic color of the tooth enamel. The chemical degradation of the chromogens within or on the tooth is termed bleaching.
A whitening process for teeth describes the process of restoring the natural color of teeth by removing stains from the tooth surface. Whiteners are cleaning agents that can be found in some toothpaste and mouth rinses.
Why is teeth whitening important?
- Stress-related teeth grinding can cause small cracks which can darken.
- Nicotine and tar found in tobacco stain the enamel as well. A smoker’s teeth often appear yellow.
- As a person gets older the hard, white part of the teeth; the enamel, gets thinner showing the yellowish dentin layer below. This is the result of normal wear and tear.
- Certain medicines like antihistamines and hypertension medicines may have the side effect of tooth darkening. Some antibiotics like tetracycline's cause teeth discoloration in children when they are exposed to it.