Hydrogen peroxide teeth whitening

Getting your teeth professionally whitened can be a time-consuming and costly procedure. However, you can avoid the unnecessary hassle and expense simply by using hydrogen peroxide teeth whitening at home.

An easy way to start is by regularly using a toothpaste which contains hydrogen peroxide. Many toothpaste manufacturers now offer a whitening version of their original toothpaste.

You can also use hydrogen peroxide teeth whitening to create your own version of whitening toothpaste. Just mix hydrogen peroxide to baking soda to form a paste and brush your teeth with the paste. Be sure to thoroughly rinse out your mouth after brushing and not to consume any of the paste.

A popular home remedy is to directly rinse your mouth with hydrogen peroxide before you begin to brush your teeth, using it as a pre-brush rinse. Just rinse approximately a mouthful of hydrogen peroxide in your mouth twice a day for at least a minute each time before commencing with your normal brushing routine.

You can also use whitening strips or gel which contain hydrogen peroxide as the main or active ingredient. Teeth whitening kits and gel solutions containing hydrogen peroxide may be purchased over-the-counter. Just apply a whitening strip or hold a mould filled with with a hydrogen peroxide gel solution against your teeth for the recommended period of time. Any feelings of discomfort are likely to be just temporary and would be worth it if it leads to successful teeth whitening.

Do note that no matter which method you choose, effectiveness and results may still vary from person to person. While these methods have generally been proven to be successful, there is still a chance that it may not work for you but may be successful for other people.

For people interested to know what is hydrogen peroxide and how it works to whiten teeth, continue by reading the paragraphs below.

Basically, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a a weak acid with strong oxidizing properties. Thus, it acts as a powerful bleaching agent and is often used for bleaching paper. It also has useful applications as a oxidizer, antiseptic, disinfectant, and interestingly enough, in rocket science.

Tooth whitening or tooth bleaching procedures rely on either chemical or mechanical action to lighten teeth color. Using the chemical method, a bleaching agent such as hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide is used to cause an oxidation reaction in the tooth's enamel and dentin. However, tooth whitening products with an overall low pH carry the risk of demineralization and puts enamel at risk of decay or destruction. Therefore, the risks should be carefully weighed and great care should be exercised when deciding whether to use a product which is very acidic.

On the other hand, tooth whiteners in toothpastes work through a mechanical action as they contain mild abrasives which facilitates stain removal on enamel. However, although this method has been shown to be effective, it does not change the intrinsic color of teeth.

There are certain techniques which employ both chemical and mechanical actions to whiten teeth, called microabrasion. First, an acid is used to weaken the outer layer of enamel. This 'softens' it thus allowing the removal of superficial stains in the enamel through abrasive force. However, if discoloration is deeper or in the dentin, microabrasion will not work. We hope this short article on hydrogen peroxide teeth whitening has been an informative one for you.

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