New advances in dental science have made a wide range of cosmetic teeth procedures available to the general population. Some are very basic treatments that can be performed in one or two office visits. Others are very complicated procedures that require the use of very advanced technology and special dental training. Go to Painless Dentistry for more information.

Specialists in cosmetic dentistry take a great deal of time to study the specific individual needs of every patient and come up with a plan that maximizes that particular persons smile and overall quality of life. Cosmetic teeth procedures fall into a number of specific categories, and are intended to be customized to the needs of the individual patient through a treatment plan specific to that person that is developed by the dentist.

One of the most common problems people face as they get older is the discoloration of their teeth. Even a normal diet can, over time, cause teeth to take on a yellowish appearance. The use of caffeine and tobacco only compound the problem. To correct this, dentist may opt for one of two very simple and painless cosmetic teeth procedures: tooth whitening or cosmetic dental veneers.

Tooth whitening is done with a special bleaching gel that is applied in the dental office. For two weeks after the initial office visit, the patient will apply a similar gel using a special tray custom molded to his or her upper and lower jaws. Normally, this takes only 20 minutes each evening, and requires brushing teeth with special toothpaste like Sensodyne.

At the end of the two weeks, the patient returns for a final bleaching session, at which time more gel is applied, and a high intensity light is used to seal the results.

If the enamel is too deeply stained for the gel to remove, the dentist may opt to use cosmetic dental veneers made from porcelain. These veneers are extremely hard and stain resistant. Veneers are one of the more popular cosmetic teeth procedures because they can last for many years, and offer the additional benefit of correcting minor alignment problems and tooth chipping and pitting. Refer to Dentistry Sandton for more information.

Another cosmetic teeth procedure that is rapidly becoming a dental mainstay is cosmetic bonding. Bonding is done with a special composite resin that matches the color of teeth. It is applied to cracks and cavities when soft, and then allowed to harden. Dental bonding achieves the same results that the amalgam fillings of the past achieved in terms of repairing holes in teeth.

However, the bonding resin blends more naturally with tooth enamel than metal fillings do, and it does not expand and contract with changes in temperature the way metal does. It is much safer to use in the human mouth, and much easier on teeth as a result.

More complex cosmetic teeth procedures have to be used when teeth are badly damaged or lost. Dental crowns made from porcelain offer the best solution to a tooth that has lost a large portion of its surface area due to an accident or tooth decay.

The crown is shaped to match the size of the tooth in its original state and the proportions of surrounding, healthy teeth. When it is placed over the tooth, it looks and functions like a natural tooth.

Dental crowns also play a significant role in the most advanced of cosmetic teeth procedures, dental implants. Implants are basically artificial tooth roots made from titanium alloy that screw into the jaw bone itself. Once the bone grows around the implant, a crown is used to cover the alloy and create the appearance of a normal, natural tooth.

Cosmetic dental implants are a much better tooth replacement option than dentures because they are permanently set in the bone and can be used to chew any foods typical of a normal, healthy diet. Visit Dentistry Johannesburg for further information. for further information.

Whitening your teeth is not a new concept and it is something that has been used throughout the ages, particularly by the upper class. While original formulas included things like nitric acid, pumice and human urine among other ingredients, teeth whiting products these days are far more benign, yet still effective. Go to Painless Dentistry for more information.

For celebrities, tooth whitening is part of their preparation for their job. While some go so far as to have cosmetic surgery to improve their faces, it’s far more common to hear about celebrities getting their teeth whitened.

There are a large number of treatments available for teeth whitening. You can buy over the counter products like strips or paint on type whiteners. These are all regulated, though, and tend not to be nearly as effective as those used by the dentists. Which is why you’ll never hear about celebrities doing those home kits.

When you are rich and famous, only the best tooth whitening techniques will do and most celebrities opt for the more expensive options, which usually means near-instant, as well. High end tooth whitening techniques like laser whitening are the most popular among the stars who have money. These treatments may be a little out of reach for the average person on the street, but that’s why dentists offer other options, often somewhat less effective, though easier on the wallet.

Why Celebrities Need Tooth Whitening

When it’s your job to look hot onscreen, you need to have a dazzling smile. For celebrities, no matter what point they are at in their career, their teeth are a very important part of whether or not they get a job. Refer to Dentistry Sandton for more information.

Many celebrities also drink coffee and smoke, both of which are quite bad for your teeth. They tend to stain the teeth and this is often only reversible with some fairly heavy duty tooth whitening. Unfortunately, these stain issues aren’t limited to celebs and even ordinary people will find that their teeth tend to yellow with time and their diet. The majority of people don’t have to beat out other shining smiles to get a job, though, which is why tooth whitening has become so very popular among the rich and famous.

It’s hard work being famous and celebs these days have stiff competition. They have to stay in shape and look great and a huge part of that is having a perfect smile. Tooth whitening has become a bit of a status symbol as well.

The Downside to Celebrity Tooth Whitening

Some celebrities, have gone above and beyond and come out with teeth that are almost too white. Dentists agree that pure white teeth are not a good idea, unless you want your teeth to dominate the face. Instead, the goal should be to lighten teeth to the same shade as the whites of the eyes for more natural look. However, this is often too dark for many people’s tastes.

Since tooth whitening can actually weaken the tooth enamel, particularly if the stains are very bad, many celebrities end up with weaker teeth as a result. Many stars opt to have their teeth whitened on a regular basis, rather than change their eating and drinking habits. These repeated whitenings can actually have a bad effect on their teeth and if they aren’t careful, celebrities wishing for that perfect smile could end up needing veneers to cover the damage done by too many harsh bleaching.

Celebrities and tooth whitening go hand in hand. With the need to look great onscreen, Hollywood stars will probably be using tooth whitening techniques for generations to come. Visit Dentistry Johannesburg for further information.

There are a number of disadvantages of whitening teeth that should be considered. Some people claim that whitening treatments can make their smile brighter in fastest and easiest way. However, before getting involved in the treatment, you need to think about the disadvantages of whitening teeth although the risk is not too overwhelming.

The Potential Disadvantages of Whitening Teeth Are Many

The truth that the chemicals that are applied can irritate the sensitive tissues of the gums and mouth is the major potential disadvantage of whitening teeth. Generally, these chemicals are either hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. In teeth whitening kits for home use, it is up to the person to be aware with the chemicals to lesson this one of the disadvantages of whitening teeth.

There is no way for the home kit user to alter the mouthguard or tray to fit his or her teeth closely enough that the chemical can’t run onto the sensitive parts of the mouth. If you have your teeth whitened by a dentist by using a specially-sized tray and mouthguard, the chances of the chemical getting onto sensitive tissues and/or gums is minimized. However, there are still risks. Thus, the mouthguard can help to lessen this particular one of the disadvantages of whitening teeth.

Any more of the disadvantages of whitening teeth is that most people experience some sensitivity of the teeth for some time after the treatment. It usually doesn’t last very long. However, for some people, the fact that their teeth will ache whenever they have something hot or cold can be an irritant.

For them, this could certainly be considered one of the disadvantages of whitening teeth. As mentioned earlier, this will go away with time, after the treatments have finished. Nevertheless, this is a definite drawback for the time that they continue to be sensitive.

The inconvenience of doing the treatment is one of the disadvantages of whitening teeth that isn’t discussed in the earlier. Whether you go to a dentist’s office for either bleaching or laser treatments, it is still a big inconvenience and maddening thing. In the contrary, you choose for home bleaching. In actual fact, it actually raised problem in your day. It’s annoy and another of the disadvantages of whitening teeth.

Still being curious about disadvantages of whitening teeth? Just explore more on the links here and you will get much more about disadvantages of whitening teeth as well as any thing related.

Brighter whiter teeth in only a few days? There are a lot of products and procedures available to help you improve the whiteness of your teeth.

Most of us are satisfied with the sparkle they get from brushing twice daily with a fluoride-containing toothpaste, cleaning between their teeth once a day and the regular cleanings at your dentist’s office. If you decide you would like to go beyond this to make your teeth whiter you should investigate all of your options.

We hear this question a lot:

My teeth are starting to become more yellowish each month and I’ve been meaning to get teeth whitening treatment at a dental clinic. So do you know of a diy teeth whitening product?

Is there a do-it-yourself teeth whitening product?

Yes. Teeth whitening, also known as teeth bleaching, has become extremely popular over the last several years. It’s a great way to improve your appearance, it’s reasonably priced, non-surgical and non-invasive. Until recently, you had to pay hundreds of dollars to your dentist to produce stellar results. However, those same results are now as close as the internet or your corner drugstore using a do it yourself teeth whitening product … at a fraction of the cost. Many of the “O-T-C” products sold in stores are almost as powerful as those used in the dentist’s office (and use exactly the same active ingredients). Even with this convenience, a lot of people still opt for in-office whitening, which offers convenience, speed, and precision. Most at-home kits rely on trays or stick-on strips.

There are several ways to whiten your teeth:

• At-home teeth whitening;
• Whitening toothpastes
• In-office bleaching;

The Advantages Of At Home Teeth Whitening

Most at home teeth whitening kits use a form of Peroxide to bleach the teeth. The most popular formulations, including those used by most dentists, contain Carbamide Peroxide. Other types of kits, including the Crest Whitestrips, use Hydrogen Peroxide. Over-the-counter whitening systems are more convenient, much cheaper, but may not be quite as effective or long lasting as professional tooth-whitening.

If you decide to use diy tooth whitening, the idea of choosing one product over another can be daunting. There are so many kits to choose from — promising results from several weeks to only 2 hours! Search the internet and you’ll end up even more confused. Some of the kits seem very “dental” and others very down-to-earth. Some are packaged to look more upscale and are sold in spas like Bliss of New York and London. And then there are the Whitestrips. Which should you choose? That depends on your needs, your budget, and the amount of time you are willing to devote to making your teeth whiter.

As with everything else, teeth whitening isn’t perfect and it isn’t for everyone. Before you decide to have your teeth whitened, you should talk with your dentist. Your dentist can determine if you are a good candidate for teeth whitening. Knowing the facts can help you with your final decision.

A man name David in his late twenties called us three weeks ago, reporting that he had bit down on a bone in some chicken and immediately felt a sharp pain in one of his teeth. Since that time, he had consistently felt pain anytime he chewed or applied pressure to it with his tongue. He immediately thought that he may have somehow broken his tooth, but he could not see a fracture when he looked in the mirror. He did feel something missing at the base of the tooth, but assumed it was a filling he had gotten as a child that had simply fallen out. We told David that it was impossible to determine if the tooth was indeed broken or simply needed refilling. We urged him to come in immediately for examination so we could determine the best course of action. Go to Painless Dentistry for more information.

Most of the time, a broken tooth not only fractures a tooth, but actually splits off a part of it. Sometimes people recover these fragments and can clearly see a piece of the tooth missing in the area where it initially broke. In other cases such as David’s, a person may not find a tooth fragment. If the person examines the tooth in the mirror, they may not see where the crack actually is. However, they certainly feel the pain anytime any amount of pressure is put on the tooth. Broken teeth are painfully obvious to human beings, and almost impossible to ignore. The one good thing about this is most people immediately contact a dentist to stop the pain, which in turn allows the dentists to act more quickly and possibly save the tooth.

David, however, was an exception to this norm. Assuming that he probably had a missing filling, and seeing no evidence of a broken tooth in the mirror, he procrastinated calling a professional. It was not until the pain became increasingly worse that David finally picked up the phone and said he needed an appointment ASAP. When he arrived at our office, we first pulled his dental records using our computer. The first thing we noticed is that the tooth that was hurting him was next to a tooth that had been filled, but it had never itself been filled. The pain was coming from what had always been a healthy tooth–thus indicating the likelihood of a crack. Our next step was to confirm this with an examination with intraoral our camera and high-resolution monitor. Looking all around the tooth and near the gumline, we indeed found that part of the bottom inside portion tooth was indeed missing at just such an angle that David could not see it from a mirror. Even worse, the fragment that splintered off from the broken tooth had gone into the gumline. It was embedded so deeply that our only option was to extract the tooth completely. Refer to Dentistry Sandton for more information.

David was upset with himself at this point. He felt that if he had immediately acted when he first suspected the tooth was broken that it would have given us more of a chance of saving it. We reassured him that this was highly unlikely. When a fracture happens above the gumline, a crown can normally repair the tooth. This far beneath the gumline, however, negates the ability to cover the tooth adequately with a crown. David would have needed a new tooth even if he called us the day that he fractured it

David felt he was too young to get a false tooth over something as mundane as a chicken bone. We told him we completely empathized with his feelings, but reassured him at the same time that we could replace the broken tooth with a dental implant that would look identical to the one we would extract.

However, do not assume that just because David’s story ended well that procrastinating calling a dentist when you think you have a BROKEN tooth will pay off with the same happy ending. Waiting any longer in his case could have infected the root and resulted in a severe abscess and certain root canal. A BROKEN tooth is nothing to dismiss and needs immediate medical attention. Call a dentist immediately if you feel any sharp pains when you chew, or any pain whatsoever from even slight pressure on the tooth. Visit Dentistry Johannesburg for further information.

Hydrogen peroxide is a simple chemical compound composed of hydrogen and oxygen. This chemical is widely used as a disinfectant and a bleaching agent for fabrics and paper. More recently, however, it is being used as an ingredient to aid in the process of teeth whitening. The amount of hydrogen peroxide in the whitening compound or solution will determine how effective the process is. Most concentrations range from three to ten percent. The higher the percentage, the greater the potential effects.

How Does Hydrogen Peroxide Teeth Whitening Work Exactly?
The teeth whitening process means that the hydrogen peroxide goes through the enamel material of the teeth and bleaches the dentine and pulp portions of the tooth. Studies done by the American Dental Association indicate that this process does not damage the enamel and is safe.

What The Process Won’t Do
The teeth whitening process requires the hydrogen peroxide to go through the enamel to begin the bleaching. If it cannot go through the surface of a material, that means there will be no bleaching effect. If the hydrogen peroxide solution comes in contact with fillings, porcelain, ceramic or gold teeth or restorative work, then there is no change. On the other hand, if there is a porous material used such as cements or amalgams, the result can be one of making those materials softer and porous.

Side Effects
Like any process, there are side effects. These, however, are minor and temporary. Hydrogen peroxide strong enough to be used in the teeth whitening process can cause gums to become tender and teeth to be temperature sensitive.

What About Carbamide Peroxide?
While hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide are related, they perform two very different functions. Carbamide peroxide is formulated to work slowly, providing more teeth whitening but taking longer than hydrogen peroxide. Solutions using carbamide peroxide have a longer shelf life. Hydrogen peroxide, on the other hand, breaks down immediately upon exposure to saliva and oxygen. This means that those solutions containing hydrogen peroxide have a shorter shelf life, but perform the teeth whitening process much more quickly.

For more information on cheap teeth whitening solutions, check out these at home teeth whitening kits