How Does Teeth Whitening Work?

Whether you are having a non-bleach or bleach based teeth whitening procedure done it is important to know what process is better for you. There are two essential types of teeth whitening depending on the dental history of the patient in question, which type are you? To help you decide if you should consider a bleach based teeth whitening or an alternative to the bleach based teeth whitening there is the following description of the two types of procedures.

• Non-Vital Whitening- In certain cases, such as a patient who has had previous dental work like a root canal, a patient is considered to be better suited for non-vital teeth whitening. This means that certain teeth are going to be unresponsive to normal teeth whitening due to the previous work, but can be whitened through a more involved process. The dentist will fill the tooth from the inside with a chemical that will whiten the tooth over time, though some will see results in a day or two.

• Vital Whitening- Vital whitening is the teeth whitening procedure that is generally referred to in commercials and popular literature. This is done by placing a whitening chemical gel inside of a mouthpiece that is then worn for a specified amount of time. Sometimes that amount of time can be as simple as an hour or two at a time and sometimes it requires overnight application. In any sense, vital whitening is what the mind turns to when teeth whitening is brought up in general discussion.

If you are of the type who would like to avoid a dentist’s office to have your teeth whitening done, for lack of insurance or other reasons, vital whitening is your only choice. An individual does not have the access to the resources or knowledge of the process to perform non-vital teeth whitening. If you have had dental work done in the past it is essential to visit a professional to see what your options are for enhancing the shade of your teeth. Otherwise, go to your local grocery or drug store and purchase the necessary teeth whitening products and enhance your appearance today!