Who doesn’t admire those Hollywood stars with their brilliant pearly whites?  Well, my friends, that "whitest-of-white" of the stars may not be so far out of your reach.  Today’s bleaching or whitening products seem to be everywhere.  How do you choose from among the plethora???  Well, I’ll give you some information about the best and worst bleaching methods out there, so that you may become a more informed consumer.  

The first method we’ll talk about is the "At Home" method.  The "At Home" teeth whitening method has rapidly become the most popular method over the past decade.  It utilizes custom-fitted bleaching trays, thus reducing side effects and increasing this method’s effectiveness.  These custom trays are made by your dentist and you are given a professional grade whitening gel, only available from your dental professional.  Depending on the nature and severity of staining, the trays may be worn for several hours a day or overnight for several weeks.  In extreme cases, they may need to be worn for up to 6 months.  

If you are thinking about a bleaching regimen, first consult with your dentist.  He or she should then conduct a thorough examination to make sure you are of good dental health.  During your examination, the dentist will record your current tooth shade (to be able to track your whitening progress) and will then try to determine the cause or causes of your staining, so that he or she may be better able to determine a specific regimen for your bleaching needs.    

Even though bleaching products are available over-the-counter, they are not FDA regulated.  Therefore, the American Dental Association (ADA) has set guidelines for whiteners.  The ADA Seal of Acceptance is ONLY given to those whitening agents that are dispensed by a dental professional "because professional consultation is important to the procedure’s safety and effectiveness."**  An ADA seal also ascertains that the product is not harmful to the soft tissues of the mouth or to the teeth.  Earning an ADA Seal of Acceptance is not an easy task.  For a manufacturer, the ordeal is extremely time consuming and vastly expensive. This is good for the consumer because an ADA accepted material shows that the company is steadfast to make a high quality product that is both safe and effective.  On a similar note, there have been reports in the dental literature of over-the-counter whiteners actually doing harm to a person’s enamel.  This is why consumers must be careful not to jeopardize their dental health by using these unregulated products.  

There are many ways that teeth can become stained over the years.  The four major factors that influence staining of the teeth are:
                
                1.  Coffee
                2.  Tea
                3.  Wine
                4.  Smoking

Another factor could be fluorosis; a condition when a young person ingests excessive amounts of fluoride, which then causes abnormal white spots on the teeth.  Other factors that can cause discoloration are traumatization to a tooth or having a root canal done to a tooth, both of which can cause the tooth to darken over time.  Such traumatized teeth often have a harder time with the whitening process and may not be able to be whitened at all.  

A second bleaching method is the professionally applied method called "Chairside Bleaching."  "Chairside Bleaching" is an in-office procedure that may take one or more visits to the dental office, each appointment taking about an hour to complete.  During this procedure, a professional whitener (that is ADA accepted) is applied to the teeth and may be used in conjunction with a laser or a light to intensify the actions of the bleaching agent.  

If bleaching is something you’re thinking about, make sure to contact your dental professional and talk to him or her about your whitening options.
        
**ADA.org, "ADA Positions and Statements"