1. The Color of Your Teeth
Most people's teeth are not really yellow. However, they are not naturally white, either. Surprisingly, most teeth have a reddish tinge, according to the Vita Shade Guide. This system is used most often by professionals in the dental field to determine teeth color. This system divides the color of teeth into 4 basic shade ranges each with different levels of darkness. The Vita Shade guide ranges are A (reddish brown), B (reddish yellow), C (gray) and D (reddish gray). The last 3 ranges have 4 levels of darkness while range A has five. However, your teeth are not all the same natural color. Front teeth are usually the lightest while eye teeth are usually the darkest. The color of molars falls somewhere between the 2 shades.
2. Think Twice About What You Drink
You might want to think twice before swigging back large amounts of your favorite cola soft drink. Not only are you drinking empty calories, you could also be staining your teeth. Smoking, coffee and even tea can also cause discoloration, as can some medications.
3. A Dazzling Smile in Just 1 Hour
Laser teeth whitening can brighten your smile by up to 8 shades. All it takes is an hour to get such a noticeably whiter smile. Sometimes the procedure can take up to 3 hours if your teeth are severely discolored. Laser teeth whitening is done in a dentist's office with a laser and special whitening gel. First a translucent tooth bleaching gel is applied to your teeth, and then the crystals in the gel are activated by energy from a laser light. As the crystals absorb the light's energy, they penetrate each tooth's enamel and lighten the teeth.
4. Bleaching vs. Laser Teeth Whitening
Cost is one of the biggest differences between bleaching and laser teeth whitening. The latter typically costs around $1,000 while bleaching usually costs a few hundred. Another significant difference between the 2 procedures is the length of time your teeth remain a lighter shade. Bleaching lasts for 4 to 12 months, while laser teeth whitening results last between a year to 18 months. Laser whitening can make your teeth 7 to 8 shades lighter than they currently are, while bleaching usually only provides a difference of 4 to 5 shades. Bleaching requires several visits over numerous weeks to a total of up to 50 hours of treatment. Laser teeth whitening can be done in 1 short visit.
5. Zoom or Britesmile Are Not Laser Teeth Whitening
Popular tooth whitening systems Zoom and Britesmile may sometimes be promoted as laser teeth whitening procedures. However, no actual laser whitens your teeth. With these 2 systems, your teeth are whitened with a bleaching gel that is activated by a blue light.
